By: Michael Tuosto
In their Wall Street Journal article entitled Charges Stir Church’s Abuse Scandal, Dinah Brin and Peter Loftus report that 21 priests accused of sexually abusing minors were placed on leave by the Philadelphia Catholic Archdiocese. The article also reminds readers that the issue of clergy taking advantage of minors was only exposed as a serious problem about ten years ago. The reaction by Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams as reported by Dinah and Peter, was to call Cardinal Rigali’s removal of the priests “commendable.” This District Attorney provides us with a great example of exactly how to treat those institutions that are trying to “take care of their own.”
The Catholic Church harbors insecurities with reference to its ability to operate within its own power realm unhindered by the state. This power struggle has existed ever since the Church began exercising major influence over the masses, perhaps even before the 10th century. Of course the revolutionary policy of complete “separation of Church and State” that exists in America provides for a struggling that differs in many ways from the Medieval conflicts in Western Europe. Regardless of how I feel, the Church is most worried about the issue of its clergy abusing children because of the expediential acceleration of the numbers of people abandoning their affiliation with the Church. A trend that is already worrisome to the institution that derives its power from the masses. Due to what I believe to be an increasing disdain for differing ideas and beliefs among the American population, the upper Clergy in the Catholic Church is hesitant to publicly admit to any sort of problem among its ranks with regards to child abuse. To admit such a thing would open the doors to criticisms from all those who loath the Catholic Church, and religion in general. The institution’s policies and, by extension, its existence would be undermined and threatened by such accusations as, “Not allowing priests to marry and have normal sex lives is the reason for the problem.” This accusation is the one I first raised when I became cognizant of the issue. And I am a Roman Catholic.
The leaders of the Catholic Church need to feel secure in the fact that those wishing to protect children from abusive priests are simply taking issue with the deviant and detestable behavior being displayed by certain clergymen. It has to be clear that the institution itself is not under attack, even if some of us believe the rules with which the Church requires its employees to operate under do have something to do with the problem. The support offered by the District Attorney of Philadelphia to Cardinal Rigali is a great example of how to create an environment where the Church can feel secure to initiate its own internal affairs investigation without feeling threatened.
This “take care of your own” policy can be extended to our political parties in America if the activists and opposition weren’t so quick to use admissions of guilt as political weapons. The continuous cycle of hypocrisy and the use of oppositional hypocrisy as an excuse is evident today with the emotionally charged protests by the Tea Party and the pro-union protestors in various states. Political activists on the left side of the spectrum were quick to point out the Obama-Hitler signs evident among Tea Party protestors. Political activists on the right side of the aisle are now quick to report on the death threats received by Republican state congressman in Wisconsin by pro-union activists. When the right calls on the left to have Democrats in Washington denounce “fringe protesters,” it will be met with a response, “Well, why didn’t Republicans denounce the ‘birthers’ and fringe protestors in the Tea Party?” The right will then call the left hypocrites and the left will respond in kind. We the voters have to be better. We have to allow our politicians to call out the crazies existing in their ideological wing without them fearing that they are undermining their ideology as a whole. We have to commend them for acknowledging and reprimanding the individuals who give their party and ideology a bad name. Respect all views and ignore the “loons,” as Bill O’Reilly would call them. Of course you’ll more often then not hear him tie the word “loons” in with the term “left-wing”. No surprise there…
