My heart truly bleeds for the victims of the priest abuse scandals. It is inexcusable for someone in such a position of power and trust to take advantage of his honored position by abusing the people who look to him for guidance.I have disagreed whole-heartedly with the way in which these priests have been moved around and shuffled and hidden in past years. Under the new pope (while I am not his biggest fan), the sex abuse scandals have been more openly recognized and directly addressed. Efforts to keep these horrific events a secret have decreased and a far more open discussion has begun. Of course nothing can ever fully rectify the wrongs and hurt that have been done, but ignoring the problem only exacerbates the issue.
The anger and frustration on the part of the victims and their families is completely understandable. If I had been in their shoes, I'm sure I would feel the exact same way. I would feel betrayed by a faith that I held dear, and, to be honest, I'm not sure if I would ever be able to "get over" that. It takes a better person than I to do so. To be betrayed in such an intimate and vile way by a man you were told you could trust (by your parents, your grandparents, all of your family ...) with your deepest, darkest secrets is the greatest violation a person can endure. Especially if it happens when you are young and have no control over it. Their feelings are completely valid and understandable, and my heart truly bleeds for them.
What I don't understand is the vocal anger on the part of people who are not even a part of the faith. It's not that their anger is unwarranted because everyone has the right to be angry or upset over what has happened and the subsequent cover-ups. My issue is with the words and language that they use to condemn Catholics. It is easy to cast stones when you are on the outside. It is easy to be critical of something you don't understand and aren't a part of. It is easy to focus on the relatively small number of "bad" priests and ignore the thousands (millions?) who have gone before and done endless good for their parishes. It reminds me of the old adage, "a few bad apples spoil the bunch." Outsiders seem to only focus on the horrible deeds of a few without pausing to consider all of the wonderful things that priests and saints throughout the ages have done for humanity as well as the faith.
True, there have been priests who have abused their power and authority and have preyed upon the innocents in their care. That is, in every way, inexcusable. Any person who commits such a crime should be held accountable to the highest degree. But condemning an entire faith based on the actions of a few is illogical. It is the same thing as racial profiling and stereotyping. If the words "Catholic" and "priest" were taken out of the equation and replaced with any other race or religion, the public outcry would be met with counter-arguments of racism and prejudice. It just seems like it is okay to publicly condemn the "Catholic faith."
All that being said, I chose to join the faith during the sex abuse scandals. Despite all of the horrible events that were swirling around me, I saw the good and the merit and the value in the faith behind all of the scandal and unrest. I was able to see beyond the actions of a few and recognize the good of the whole. I guess it is the narrow mindedness that bothers me so much. It feels like a personal attack on the things that I hold so sacred by those who have missed the forest for the trees.
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