There's an interesting piece published today in the online version of the National Catholic Reporter. Here's an excerpt:
Words matter
By Kate Childs Graham
Created Apr 22, 2010
The sex abuse scandal within the Catholic church has been reported on in every way, shape and form. However, many journalists neglect to make the distinction between the Catholic church and the culprits of the sex abuse scandal. Instead, they write sensationalist headlines about how the Catholic church is plagued with pedophilia or how the church is a hide-out for sex abusers.
My reaction to this has been: No, this is wrong. It isn't the Catholic church that has a problem with abuses of sex or power, it is members of the hierarchy. After all, we, the faithful, the church, do not condone the actions of the perpetrators of sexual abuse or those who have sought to cover up these crimes. We are as shocked and appalled as the rest of the world.
I still stand by that reaction and would urge journalists to be as specific as possible when it comes to the grave problem of sex abuse within the Catholic church. At the same time, though, I am starting to think that maybe the faithful has a bigger role in the perpetuation of this scandal than I've been willing to admit.
When I was child, a priest was removed from a local parish after being accused of sexual abuse. People talked in hushed tones about the cause of the removal and shook their heads in disgrace. But they didn't stop putting money in the collection basket. They didn't write letters to their bishop. They didn't alert the media or the police. They didn't speak out for justice.
I believe that the faithful have as much responsibility as the hierarchy to instill and ensure justice within our church. And, yes, it would be much easier to fight against injustices if there were clear, more democratic avenues to do so. But a long history of reformation is the church tells us that while creating positive and essential change is sometimes mucky, it is always worth it....
And Jim Carroll, I answered your hypothetical question about schools long ago. My answer was: Of course, action should be taken against people who commit crimes, no matter what institution they belong to.
HOWEVER, when accusing people of crime, it is important to accuse only those who have committed the crimes. Akenaton makes it clear that he suspects all homosexuals of child molestation. Smokey's suspicion that all priests should be suspected of child molestation, is equally clearly stated. And both Smokey and Akenaton are highly prejudiced in their suspicions.
Smokey, you accuse me a putting words in Akenaton's mouth - with all the diatribes against homosexuals that he's posted in these threads on child molestation, what else could he be referring to? It's crystal clear that Akenaton suspects homosexuals of being child molesters. If that's the case, then it's clear that he would not want homosexuals to have contact with children - is it not?
OK, so you don't like the term bigotry. Let's just say that Akenaton and Smokey and Jim Carroll are guilty of broad overgeneralization....
Try logic sometime. It's very effective.
-Joe Offer-