Its a LOT more complicated than that...

By faith, we live in the world but don't have to be of the world.  We exist living in a place that is fallen and tired, and sinful, but we are called by Christ to come out of that place, and that's not always easy.  Not everyone makes it out.

Obviously this blog is about my journey into becoming a member of the Catholic Church and, it was inevitable that I would have to talk about the various scandals that have loomed over the organization for the years.  The chief among them is, without about, the accusations leveled against various priests concerning the sexual abuse of young children.

A friend of mine, Brian Sweeny, recently shared on his Facebook page a clip from an interview with Billy Connolly, a popular actor and comedian.  In the clip he is asked about his relationship with the Catholic Church.  He naturally addressed the child sex abuse scandal and he stated that he does not have a relationship with the Catholic Church anymore for that and various other reasons.  I’m going to refer to Billy Connolly again in a little bit so stay tuned.

Now, I cannot and will not belittle the sex scandal, the actions, the events, or the victims.  That’s not what this is about.  I won’t justify the actions of the church other than to say that before they could take action it was their duty and responsibility to investigate each allegation for what it was.  This is actually where my criminal law background comes into play because that is the lens I have to look at it through.  I have no choice, I’m in too deep (in criminal law).

I cannot take any accusation at face value.  I have to wait for the investigation to prove, disprove, or remain inconclusive.  If the investigation proves inconclusive, then the law has no choice but to side with the defendant, because you are considered innocent UNTIL PROVEN guilty.  They are an organization over 2000 years old, so they are accustomed to handling problems behind closed doors.  Its just that these incidents were reported in an era that the church, I think, was not prepared for.  The era of the internet where every opinion was taken as absolute regardless of what actual facts said.  That, I think more than anything, colored the views of those who cried foul on the church.

That’s not to say that the church did everything right in regards to the scandal, but the actions of these priests, and those that actually made an effort to cover it up, these were not the actions of the church but of individuals.  I cannot hold the body of faith responsible for the actions of men.  Let me give you an example from my life.

While attending the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, we had a pastor that, frankly was questionable.  Our church oversaw a day care and it was later discovered that he had child pornography on his computer, in his office, at the church.  Well, question answered.  I personally never trusted the man, but that was my gut instinct, not based on any facts that I had.  He was removed from his office at the church, I don’t know if there were any criminal charges filed, and he’s no longer endorse by the Lutheran Church, but he’s still a pastor.  He may not have a congregation, but officially he’s still a pastor.

So, was justice served?  I don’t personally think so, but I also don’t know what was found during the investigation.  I also don’t hold God responsible for the actions of this man.  I’m very big on personal responsibility.  The priests who conducted these terrible acts on children, I hold them personally responsible for their actions.  The people who covered it up, I hold them personally responsible for their actions.  You know who also holds these people personally responsible for their actions?  God.  They sooner or later, are going to have to square up with God on their actions, and abuse of office is not limited to the Catholic Church, as my personal story illustrates.  It can happen anywhere because people are, at their core, just people.  Their actions do not invalidate the faith or the teachings of the church.

One thing that is very important to remember is that yes, you can be mad at the church, you can question it’s teachings, and ultimately you should evaluate how they apply to your specific life.  Billy Connolly did.  After the loss of his sister and of his friend, Robin Williams, Connolly did ultimately return to the church.  Whether or not he participates in mass itself is his choice, but he makes it a point to pray and light a candle for his lost loved ones.  I think that, more than anything expresses the point of the whole sordid affair.  You can be mad at representatives of the church, but remember that God exists above all of them, and God, regardless of your actions, will always be there for you.