The Catholic Church’s Sex Abuse Scandal Is A Crisis Of Faith

[GURPS]

What should faithful Catholics conclude from all this? In the coming days and weeks we will no doubt hear, as we have ever since the scandal first broke in 2002, that the problem is with the church itself, with its backward teachings about the celibacy of the priesthood and homosexuality and a host of other things. We will hear calls for the church to change, to become more like progressive Protestant churches that have made peace with moral relativism and ever-shifting doctrine.

All such criticism gets the crisis exactly backwards. The crisis did not arise from the teachings of the Catholic Church, it arose from the abandonment of those teachings by a faction of U.S. priests, bishops, and theologians amid the ferment of the sexual revolution in the 1960s and ‘70s. More than anything, the sex abuse crisis in the church stems from the “culture of dissent” that prevailed in seminaries and dioceses across the country during this time.

What were these church leaders dissenting from? From the church’s teachings, elucidated in Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, on contraception, marriage, sexuality — the very things progressives and dissenters today say the church should abandon.

Yes, some in the church did abandon those teachings, with the result that they lost sight of what a priest is and what a bishop is and what their solemn duties are. Throughout the 1960s and ‘70s in particular, droves of priests renounced their vows and left the church, while others remained in active ministry but indulged themselves, taking on sexual partners, fathering children, and as we know now, abusing innocent children. All the while, prominent theologians were giving them intellectual cover by promoting a culture of dissent within the church.

The crisis, in other words, is not a crisis of Catholic teaching or tradition. It is a crisis of fidelity to that teaching and tradition — it is a crisis of faith.


The Catholic Church’s Sex Abuse Scandal Is A Crisis Of Faith

 

[itsbob]

As long as they have an active membership that pays their weekly and monthly dues in a timely manner why would they change their behaviour??

There is absolutely no reason for them to change as their own membership refuses to punish them for their misdeeds.

 

[transporter]

What should faithful Catholics conclude from all this? In the coming days and weeks we will no doubt hear, as we have ever since the scandal first broke in 2002, that the problem is with the church itself, with its backward teachings about the celibacy of the priesthood and homosexuality and a host of other things. We will hear calls for the church to change, to become more like progressive Protestant churches that have made peace with moral relativism and ever-shifting doctrine.

All such criticism gets the crisis exactly backwards. The crisis did not arise from the teachings of the Catholic Church, it arose from the abandonment of those teachings by a faction of U.S. priests, bishops, and theologians amid the ferment of the sexual revolution in the 1960s and ‘70s. More than anything, the sex abuse crisis in the church stems from the “culture of dissent” that prevailed in seminaries and dioceses across the country during this time.

What were these church leaders dissenting from? From the church’s teachings, elucidated in Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae, on contraception, marriage, sexuality — the very things progressives and dissenters today say the church should abandon.

Yes, some in the church did abandon those teachings, with the result that they lost sight of what a priest is and what a bishop is and what their solemn duties are. Throughout the 1960s and ‘70s in particular, droves of priests renounced their vows and left the church, while others remained in active ministry but indulged themselves, taking on sexual partners, fathering children, and as we know now, abusing innocent children. All the while, prominent theologians were giving them intellectual cover by promoting a culture of dissent within the church.

The crisis, in other words, is not a crisis of Catholic teaching or tradition. It is a crisis of fidelity to that teaching and tradition — it is a crisis of faith.


The Catholic Church’s Sex Abuse Scandal Is A Crisis Of Faith

So Comrade GURPS and the Federalist are trying to put a positive spin the sexual abuse of children?

You are absolving the abusers and blaming in on social change in the 60s and 70s??? (BTW the report that came out notes abuse that goes back to the 1940s)

The priests are the victims??? It is all society's fault??? Wow...

 

[Monello]

The crisis, in other words, is not a crisis of Catholic teaching or tradition. It is a crisis of fidelity to that teaching and tradition — it is a crisis of faith.

The pedophile scandal of the RCC has nothing to do with the church. IMO word got out in the pedo community that being a priest would allow you access to hundreds of children to prey upon. Then when you are discovered doing the deed, it gets covered up, you get moved and you can continue with you sick perversions.

It can't be a coincidence that this was taking place on several continents at the same time. I understand that this also happens in other places where children are prevalent, such as scouts, organized sports and schools. But it didn't happen at the same level. A few parishes in Pennsylvania had over 300 pedo priests that abused thousands of children. How many pedo priests are in say California, Texas or NY if a small sampling in PA uncovered over 300? How many weren't identified? Those numbers are chilling and the Vatican has a lot to answer to. I doubt the answers will come in my lifetime.