Like most people, I woke up on Wednesday, August 15th to see headlines telling the horrible story of over 1,000 people being molested by Catholic clergy over the span of several decades. Unfortunately, this isn't the first major scandal to break in the Catholic Church. The world was watching when a very similar situation arose decades earlier, and the Bishops and pastors covered it up. The same thing has happened again because the church hasn't learned from its mistakes.
Let me preface this by saying that I am a proud and practicing Catholic. The Church has been a huge part of my life and has helped shaped who I am today. I will never denounce it or be ashamed. However, I am furious.
I am devastated that so many people have been hurt by an organization that has brought so much comfort and stability to my life. I am heartbroken at the idea of so many people being turned away from the faith because of the actions of the clergy who were supposed to guide them in their faith.
What makes all of this worse (if that's even possible), is that bishops and other high ranking members of the Church have now been accused of covering up abuse for decades. As much as I want to sit here and hope that not all the accusations are true, in my heart I know that most of what has come out is true.
To my fellow Catholics; don't stand for this. We can't just sit here and watch. Take action. Get angry. It's not enough to sit at home and quietly protest. Talk to your local parish priests, look into actions you can take to make sure everyone in your community feels safe. The other key action is not letting anyone get away with it. Voice your anger, cause a scene. As a society, we have been taught to keep everything hush-hush and wait for it to get better. Clearly, this isn't working.
Part of the problem is that people in power (in the Church and out of it) are not being held accountable for their actions. If we show the world that power does not buy a get out of jail free card maybe we'll finally start to see leaders following the rules and realizing they are not above the law.
Finally, I would like to take a step back and ask everyone to pray. No matter what your religious or spiritual tradition is, please pray for the Catholic Church. The abuse has affected not just the Catholic community, but everyone around it as well. In order for the Church to heal, it will need the support of everyone around it. So please, take a moment and ask for healing for those abused, for wisdom for those helping the survivors, and for justice for those who have brought this pain into the world.
