Note: These letters are in response to the February 14 Viewer Letters article, “Viewer Response to Priestly Abuse: We're Outta Here.”
Dear Catholic Exchange:
I applaud your article about the people that had chosen to leave the Church because of the things done by the bishops to hide the truth. If every Catholic left when embarrassing things happened within the Church, where would we be?
I have been a member of the Catholic Church all my life. I have seen much, having raised eight children in the faith. If every time a priest offended me or lied or did something dishonest or unkind I resolved things by packing up and running away, I would just be using that as an excuse to give in to the enemy. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. We must deplore what has happened to the children and their families, and we must never stop praying for our Church, or the priests within it.
I live in probably the most liberal diocese in the US–the Albany Diocese. Often what is taught as truth and those who teach it are frighteningly wrong. My brothers and sisters have often been disregarded and hurt for standing up for the truth that the Church teaches, but we keep on speaking and praying.
Keep the faith! Fight the good fight! In the end we will win!
In Christ Jesus,
Cathy
Dear Mr. Shea:
Your response to the disgruntled contributor was well expressed. I can only nod my head in agreement to the need for all Catholics to remember that our response is to Christ and He left us the Church as a vehicle. We must support it in word and deed.
Thanks,
Scott Bowen
Mr.Shea:
In reading your response to the gentleman who is leaving the Church because of the mess in Boston, I was reminded of Dorothy Day saying that she “loved the Church not for what she is but what she claims to be.” As Lent begins, let's pray for our Mother the Church during this time of her (rightful) purgation rather than turning our backs on her in her time of need.
Glenna Bradshaw
Dear Catholic Exchange:
Memories of my youth in the Roman Catholic Church are almost without exception good ones. Most of my memories is of priests and nuns who I held in great respect and, yes, in some cases awe. At the age of 10 these people were, as far as I could tell, saints and I wanted to join their ranks.
Now I'm over 50 and my view has become tarnished with time and reality. I see the priests and religious for who they are — people just like me. People subject to the same frailties of spirit, the same failings, the same wants, the same needs — I no longer see them as apart from myself but as part of myself — part of the Body of Christ.
The Roman Catholic Church has withstood the test of time for one reason and one reason alone – it is blessed by God as His True Church. We are not and never will be perfect — we can only struggle with our weakness and rely on God's grace to see us through. We must not abandon our faith — we must be stronger in our faith during these terrible times.
Catholic Exchange is a wonderful mechanism for supporting that faith and I intend to continue to support Catholic Exchange.
Pray that God will guide our Church and the people of His Body through these scandals and that not only will the Church be made stronger that our clergy, especially the leadership, will act with humility, righteousness and above all the Love of Our Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts. Pray also that our clergy, religious and the hierarchy will receive our love and support in these times that will truly test their souls!
John Bowden
Syracuse, New York
Dear Catholic Exchange:
Thank you so much for posting your response to the individual who was considering leaving the Church over the priest abuse/cover-up scandal.
I am sure that many suppose that priests and bishops (and sometimes even popes) behaving badly is a new phenomena and a sign that the Church has some how “lost favor” with God. [Anyone who studies] Church history can see that this is not new. Unfortunately, whenever corruption in the Church hierarchy raises its ugly head it threatens the faith of many, particularly those who are marginal Catholics to begin with.
But a handful of priests and bishops are not the Church, and as evil as their deeds are, they cannot change the fact that the Church teaches truth. We need to be strong, like many of the greatest saints in the face of this type of corruption. Sometimes truth is transmitted from the top of the Church hierarchy down, but when there is obvious corruption in the hierarchy, it can also be transmitted from the bottom up.
I love the Church. I will not let the evil acts of a few further defile Her. If you start an initiative to send a message to the Church that are guilty of this cover-up, just give me the details, and I will sign-up.
Thank you for fighting the good fight.
Judy Muehlbauer, SFO
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Please note that all email submitted to Catholic Exchange or its authors (regarding articles published at CE) become the property of Catholic Exchange and may be published in this space. Published letters may be edited for length and clarity. Names and cities of letter writers may also be published. Email addresses of viewers will not normally be published.
Dear Catholic Exchange:
It is my belief that a priest is the delivery system of the Gospels which were written by men directed by the Holy Spirit; thus the Gospels are perfect.
The priest who delivers the message may be flawed and if he breaks the law he should be punished, but his [imperfection] does not affect the message. Although I am disappointed in the actions of some priests and Church leaders, my faith in the Catholic Church is unwavered, because the message from God though the Gospels doesn't change.
John Dionne
Dear Mr. Dionne:
Thank you for writing in.
The great St. Francis of Assisi lived in the 1200s, which was a time of rampant immorality in central Italy. Priests were setting a terrible example. Once one of the brothers in the Franciscans asked Francis a question. “Br. Francis,” he said, “What would you do if you knew that the priest celebrating Mass had three concubines on the side?” Francis, without missing a beat, said slowly, “When it came time for Holy Communion, I would go to receive the Sacred Body of my Lord from the priest's anointed hands.”
This, I believe, dovetails nicely what you are saying. It's an excerpt from a piece that is running in our lead space on February 26. Watch for it!
God Bless,
Tom Allen
Editor & President
Catholic Exchange
Dear Catholic Exchange:
I too am disgusted with the abuse that the Church hierarchy has tolerated and covered up amongst the priests and bishops. But I so wholeheartedly agree with your response: why leave the Church? If you don't want to support it monetarily, so be it. But Christ did not let us down, people did, and it will take people to restore and renew it through the bad times, just as it has in the past. Thank you for standing up and expressing your outrage – I hope that millions more will do so also. Count me as another that loves Christ's Church, but hates the sins committed by those who act in Christ's stead.
Regards,
Lisa Ohlund
P.S. Thank you for keeping Catholic Exchange going; I'm sure it's tough going, but your work has deepened and enriched my faith. You have made a great difference in at least one life.
Dear Mr. Shea:
As a traditional Catholic, the current scandal throughout several U.S. dioceses (unfortunately, I believe this is only the tip of the iceberg) regarding priests’ and bishops’ sexual deviancy and cover-ups is appalling.
I thank you for having the guts to call a spade a spade. For too long we have had to endure the adage: “We don't want to expose private sins to the whole world for fear of scandal.” I'd like to just make one small point.
Where there is dissent as there has been throughout the U.S. Church for the past 35 years in the hierarchy and lack of Faith, lack of obedience in liturgical and other abuses and nightmares, we will reap what we sow. It is no longer time for faithful Catholics to bury their heads and blame the media for this fiasco. Think as if it were your own children!
Yes, we must hate the sin and love the sinner. And the way we love the sinner sometimes is what Dr. Dobson calls “tough love.” They need to be removed and held accountable, and thrown in jail. It is what God calls “temporal punishment due to sin.” It is NOT being judgmental to no longer trust the authorities that be when they have proven to not give a d— about the most innocent children being raped and violated. No one in his right mind would give the benefit of the doubt to a known child molester who lived in his own neighborhood. These sins of priests are much more grievous in that they jeopardize souls due to the scandal!
Ladies and gentlemen, this is an apostasy, and we must protect our children from these wolves in sheeps’ clothing!
Lex orandi, lex credendi!
Brian Mershon
Taylors, SC
Dear Mark Shea:
First of all I want to thank you and everybody at CatholicExchange.com. You all do a great job. Next I want to thank you again for the letter you sent to the Seargent family. It saddens me deeply to see that the evil wins if people leave the Catholic Church. My question to you is should we as Catholic laity be asking for Cardinal Law, and others who allowed the horrible things in Boston to happen, to step down? I'm asking because while I'm very angry that they allowed these things to happen I'm not sure of my role–I don't belong to that diocese. Your opinion would be very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Jerry
Dear Jerry:
Thanks for your kind words. I too am deeply grieved by the scandal and even more by the inevitable fallout that such scandal produces.
In answer to your question, I think it is entirely appropriate for lay Catholics to demand that Cardinal Law and any other person in a position of responsibility in this scandal step down. The basic rule of thumb here is that if it gravely harms the witness and credibility of your local Catholic church, it affects you. The actions of the Boston hierarchy affect the credibility of Catholics all over the United States and the world: whether we live in Boston or not, we get blamed for belonging to a Church whose leaders take child rape less seriously than the comfort of the clerical guild. So it is not only our right but our duty to make clear that this is not something we will stand for. That's not rebellion, that's fidelity to the Gospel and our Lord's solemn warning that it is better to have a millstone tied round our necks and be thrown into the sea than to cause one of his little ones to stumble.
That said, I will say it myself. Cardinal Law: resign.
Mark Shea
Senior Content Editor
Catholic Exchange
