The Catholic Church is not new to controversy. So when a story broke in early August about the cover-up of over 1,000 molestation cases by a Roman Catholic Church in Pennsylvania, people were, to be blunt, disappointed but not surprised.
My overarching understanding of what took place was the rape of over 1,000 adolescents over the course of 70 years by a rotation of 300 bishops and church officials. In the time since the report broke, there has been speculation that the true number of victims hovers closer to double the reported number, allowing for victims who either passed or are too afraid to come forward. The horrific details of what took place range from beatings to keep children quiet, to forced abortions, and of course, the regular rape and sexual molestation of children in a place that is supposed to be dedicated to the beauty of faith in a higher power. Read about it here.
I don't want to say that I have a fascination with this. But my background in sociology and public health leads me to questions about what exactly could drive people to commit such violent and sacrilege acts under the guise of serving God. This curiosity led me to another article, by Buzzfeed, which catalogs a case that spans nearly as many years and adds an international twist. Starting just after the end of World War II and lasting for over forty years, children under the care of a Catholic nun-run orphanage suffered everything from being forced to eat their own vomit, being locked into trunks, genital mutilation as well as bearing witness to the murder of several children at the hands of their so-called caretakers. As this story broke and made national headlines with both state and federal courts overseeing the cases of dozens of former orphans, word spread and citizens of other countries began to share similar stories. Read the whole article here.
I'm not going to try to understand the scope of the damage done by this global institution. What I am trying to figure out is how something like this could happen. How could men and women be allowed into the clergy without some kind of screening? How could an institution based on the power of love and faith allow something so hideous to go one with no repercussions or victim reparations? I was not raised in the Catholic church. So my faith and the ground I stand on with my beliefs isn't being shattered as are the faith and beliefs of members of the church. I've been having trouble reckoning whether or not the people who stay within the church when story after story is being released are the strongest and most faithful people on the planet, or the most foolish.
I want to know how the very darkest parts of human behavior can remain uncondemned and cyclical. At this point, the wool isn't being pulled over anyone's eyes. We know that abuse and rape are happening within the Church and by all intents and purposes, it's being allowed. Investigations are happening after the tales of tragedy and nothing is being done to prevent them. So what do we do? Please comment and share your opinion because I am at a pure loss.
