With respect to priests the Church decided in 2002 that it was better to gain public approval by dealing publicly with abusers. With respect to upper members of the hierarchy with a few exceptions of bishops who have publicly acknowledged accusations and kept their diocese up to date on the situation, the hierarchy still seems to think that if they pretend there isn't a problem it will go away. But that isn't going to work anywhere and the most important thing is for them to deal with all of it publicly. Sometimes that will look like an innocent man like Cardinal Pell is prosecuted and sometimes a guilty man like Zanchetta and the many others like him. It needs to happen badly and the Church is NOT going to recover in the eyes of the public unless and until it does.
You may not like his politics but the closest I’ve seen to a ROOT CAUSE diagnosis of many Church ills, specifically published in response to the Archdiocese of Boston sexual abuse mushroom cloud in a NY Times op ed, was by Fr. James Martin SJ. Again, not symptoms like “public image” but ROOT CAUSES:
• grandiosity
• narcissism
• clericalism.
A Pretty enduring and concise diagnosis, regardless of who made it.
With respect to priests the Church decided in 2002 that it was better to gain public approval by dealing publicly with abusers. With respect to upper members of the hierarchy with a few exceptions of bishops who have publicly acknowledged accusations and kept their diocese up to date on the situation, the hierarchy still seems to think that if they pretend there isn't a problem it will go away. But that isn't going to work anywhere and the most important thing is for them to deal with all of it publicly. Sometimes that will look like an innocent man like Cardinal Pell is prosecuted and sometimes a guilty man like Zanchetta and the many others like him. It needs to happen badly and the Church is NOT going to recover in the eyes of the public unless and until it does.
You may not like his politics but the closest I’ve seen to a ROOT CAUSE diagnosis of many Church ills, specifically published in response to the Archdiocese of Boston sexual abuse mushroom cloud in a NY Times op ed, was by Fr. James Martin SJ. Again, not symptoms like “public image” but ROOT CAUSES:
• grandiosity
• narcissism
• clericalism.
A Pretty enduring and concise diagnosis, regardless of who made it.
Phew glad this came out. I was worried I would have to go a weekend without a great Catholic conversation.
That Francis was called Francis because of his father's love of France is in The Fioretti, otherwise known as the Little Flowers of St. Francis.
I would be happy to help fund a bronze QR code plaque! That's an excellent meme.
Ed, you are truly in your wheelhouse on Vatican finance.