Catholic sex scandals

[mathinspiration]

What should be done about it?

 

[chevyontheriver]

What should be done about it?

When you concede that there are Lutheran sex scandals and Presbyterian sex scandals Methodist sex scandals and sex scandals in public schools and in families and daycare facilities, and in Scouts, and those odd neighbors, and in Hollywood, then maybe we can talk fruitfully. It's a bigger badder problem than most people would dare to be able to see.

 

[com7fy8]

When you concede

I know one Episcopalian pastor who readily says, "We all have this problem." What is the problem that is mainly getting attention is if certain clerical people have helped to cover up for such evil activities.

 

[com7fy8]

What should be done about it?

First, I need to love and have hope for all people.

If I was the Pope, what would I need to do? Pray and trust God to guide me. I would remove anyone who was adequately shown to have been involved in doing or covering up for such evil. And I would have a meeting with ones who had cleared those people to get through seminary. I would be very concerned that such evil people were not detected and stopped from becoming ordained.

1 Timothy 3:1-10 is clear how no man is qualified just to be considered for ordination unless he is "blameless". Certainly ones who abuse children and cover up for ones who do are not "blameless". And so I would be concerned that a seminary evaluation person can not tell the difference between a person of God's love, versus ones capable of such evil. There is no way they can be ministering God's love, I would say; and Jesus makes even His "sheep" able to tell who is feeding them His love and who is not. So, if leaders, even, can't tell the difference, this I would say is a major problem.

And so, also, I would be evaluating myself, about how ever I might have fooled my own self into advancing predators and such incapable administrative persons to become bishops and cardinals. And therefore I would need to evaluate if I myself am qualified to handle this problem.

I would submit that we need to stop the outright disobedience of the standards of our Apostle Paul, in 1 Timothy 3:1-10. Because, by discriminating against married men whom God has qualified to pastor, leaders are being disobedient, and therefore operating in a disobedient spirit (Ephesians 2:2) which makes them darkened and degraded from being able to rightly evaluate candidates. So, by operating in a spirit of discrimination, they have helped to cause the problem, by not being able to tell the difference between a truly qualified man, versus even such ones.

And it seems as though even whole congregations, or a lot of the members, could not tell the difference when they had such evil men in their pulpits. So, I would call for action to get everyday members corrected by Jesus so they know His voice directing them about who to trust and who not to trust > John 10:1-30 < yes, ones claim this is not realistic to expect of Christians, but this is guaranteed by Jesus, about His "sheep" . . . not just His leaders.

I would not go with the idea that removing homosexuals from the priesthood is what is relevant to this problem. May be certain ones could be coaxed by favors to accept predators. But homosexuality by definition involves preference for another consenting adult, as far as I know, and by definition it does not include predation on underage people.

So, while I would not accept gays in the priesthood, I would not assume that removing them would be relevant to this trouble. So, in case certain clerics and psychiatrists told me that gays were a major factor, I would question the credibility of such advisors. But yes I would move to ordain only ones who meet the qualifications of 1 Timothy 3:1-10 for taking "care of the church of God"; and these, according to what I read in this scripture, are family men who first have learned how to take care of their own families. And their wives would help them to get such correction and maturation; so their wives would be so essential to their becoming and growing in being qualified; so I would want couples of such sort to pastor.

And, of course, pray and find out how to use celibates at various levels and places.

By the time I was done, the Roman Catholic Church would no longer be the Roman Catholic Church, then, plus I would probably have appointed a group of qualified leaders to kick me out!!

 

[chevyontheriver]

I know one Episcopalian pastor who readily says, "We all have this problem." What is the problem that is mainly getting attention is if certain clerical people have helped to cover up for such evil activities.

It's not just clerical people who cover it up, but business people, and government people, and families, and schools. To cover it up is almost natural for people to want to do. So, again, until we stop seeing this as a problem for 'certain clerical people' and start seeing it as a very widespread social problem, there isn't going to be much of a fix.

Pope Benedict (emeritus) has just released a statement on the subject. I will be reading it tomorrow.

 

[Dave-W]

When you concede that there are Lutheran sex scandals and Presbyterian sex scandals Methodist sex scandals and sex scandals in public schools and in families and daycare facilities, and in Scouts, and those odd neighbors, and in Hollywood, then maybe we can talk fruitfully. It's a bigger badder problem than most people would dare to be able to see.

Don't forget Tailhook.

Tailhook scandal - Wikipedia

Revisiting the Military’s Tailhook Scandal

 

[com7fy8]

It's not just clerical people who cover it up,

Thank you for taking the time to answer me, and in a civil manner, and I would say a realistic one. I do understand that this evil world is under the sway of Satan, and there is "the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" (in Ephesians 2:2); and a human needs to trust in Jesus (Ephesians 1:12) in order to be turned "from the power of Satan to God" > Acts 26:18. Satan's evil spirit is involved in how ones can betray and hurt children, and in how others can cover it up. And yes there are family people who do not take action to stop abuse in their own families.

And there are plenty of other ways in which people betray children, by our bad example. These might not be obviously hurtful, but they help children to keep from trusting in Jesus, and so they do not have the strength emotionally to go through life and hold up to temptations and suffering and bad ways of relating with other people. Because of selfish loving and its bad example, children grow up not knowing how to love and how to do well in marriage, and we now are seeing how children develop because of this. There has been plenty of religious practicing and making of claims, but the children have discovered how it has not made them deeply satisfied, and they are looking elsewhere, also beside Jesus who gives us "rest for your souls." (Matthew 11:28-30)

So, the solution is Jesus Himself, person by person. And no law or policy reforms can make this happen. Only God can change our nature. And it is the human nature, everywhere, worked in by Satan's evil spirit (Ephesians 2:2) which is included in the problem.

And our Apostle Paul says what to do > "first of all" (in 1 Timothy 2:1-4). I think this is what can help. And I myself have been too able to just criticize others who have problems. So, I need real correction so my prayer helps, with compassion >

"He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness." (Hebrews 5:2)