The Catholic Church 

in a Tailspin: Random Thoughts
Concerning the Ongoing Crisis

Friends who read my posts to Facebook have asked that comments offered be gathered into one place for ease of sharing or copy/paste function. The following appeared over the last few days mostly in response to statements from organizations, members of the hierarchy of the Church or articles in Catholic or secular media.

8/15

I hang my head in shame and embarrassment, not to mention the sheer evil of it all. How do we combine the revelation of sexual abuse cover up in PA, which I am sure could be replicated in so many other places. How do we combine this news with the recent ad put out by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops presenting a prayer specifically mentioning changes in the Supreme Court which would mean an end to Roe v. Wade? How do we combine this news with the Church’s stance against the ordination of women, condemnation of LGBTQ community, etc., etc.? 

When the last negative pronouncement from the Church concerning female ordination was released I said that even institutions can choose to commit suicide. I think we are watching it today in slo-mo.

8/16

Famed theologian Karl Rahner said, “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or not at all.” Those words and this opinion piece speak of the necessity, especially in these times, of enriching one’s personal interior relationship with the Divine. It is from this deep and honest relationship that moral decisions are best made. It is the fertile ground of ‘primacy of conscience’, well removed from institutions and dogmatic prescriptions whether religious or political.

8/16

“The underlying causes of these ongoing abuses and the collusion of so many senior members of the Catholic hierarchy are complex and multi-faceted. However, we believe that deeply rooted questions of misogyny and clerical attitudes towards women and girls urgently need to be interrogated, along with other aspects of priestly formation and church teachings on human sexuality and gender. Misogyny flourishes in all-male communities and continues to distort priestly attitudes towards many aspects of embodiment and sexuality. We believe that it constitutes a major contributory factor in the sex abuse crisis which is not sufficiently acknowledged."

                                      Excerpt from Statement from Catholic Women Speak

8/17

Cardinal Dolan can be as obsequious as the Dicken’s character Uriah Heap in his public state regarding revelations from the Pennsylvania Grand Jury probe. Things will not change until the inner unwritten rules of the club change - it is a matter of hearts and minds. As huge as this scandal is, it is only one feature of systematic hypocrisy. The list is long: disregard of parish input in appointment of pastors; mistreatment of good priests who run into rough spots, dismissal of women; ordination of unfit men regardless of warning signs; financial mismanagement; insufficient supervision of priests; lack of requirement for in-service education for priests; the farce of discussion groups in parishes to prepare for school or parish closings or archdiocesan synods and then totally ignoring input from the grassroots, etc., etc. And we cannot forget failure of the larger Church to grapple with the necessity of ordaining married men and also women to the priesthood, the failure to speak out about moral issues with the excuse that we cannot get political. Yet the Cardinal has publicly lobbied against proposed State legislation to extend the statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases. In the eyes of the hierarchy the only issues that qualify for political action are abortion and religious liberty. 

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I must add that it is also instructive to read the comments posted in response to my posts. They indicate what this has done to the faithful church in the pews. The Jesuit publication America put out a survey yesterday. It allowed for narrative responses to the questions regarding reactions to the latest news. I look forward to passing on the findings from analysis of results.

History Makes Demands

Among the many gifts received from my father is the fruit of his deliberate effort to make me a student of history beginning in my early childhood. Just before my 7^th birthday he planned a family vacation in Washington, DC. My sister was just 5 years old. We flew to D.C., stayed in a hotel on Embassy Row, saw every monument and historic site in and around the city and we walked, and walked, and walked. It is amazing how much of that trip I remember in detail – the Declaration of Independence under glass, the very cramped box at Ford’s Theater in which Lincoln was assassinated, the awesomeness of his famed Memorial, and precision of the guard change at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

At home we watched Walter Cronkite reporting the news every evening and what we heard was discussed at the dinner table. And there were books all around, especially American history and historical novels. Once off to college I very naturally became a history major.

All of this is reported so as to establish my ‘creds’ as a life-long student of history. It is that background that brings me to urging everyone to vote in the election facing our country. It also gives me the courage to forcefully ask outright that votes be cast for Senator Hillary Clinton. I have never before directly requested support for a specific candidate. But this election is so horrifyingly different, has so distorted democratic values, so distracted the ‘better angels of our nature’, so annihilated standards of civility and human respect, and so buried the real requirements of the office of president that, as a student of history, I find I am obligated to speak out.

In the past I have written about why so many are angry and afraid. I do not blame them for being so. Elected representatives of both political parties have for so long protected and promoted the top 10% in the financial picture of our country and now the inevitable gaps in wealth, services, benefits, education, employment and housing have become intolerable; a grave danger not only to individuals and families but also to the future of our democracy.

Just as the greedy and powerful have in their avarice become myopic about the consequences of their policies; those suffering are myopic about the consequences of their support for a candidate so unsuited for the office of President of the United States. They have become deaf and blind to actions and words that in the past would have caused any political party to send him packing after recognize him as dangerous excess baggage. These considerations seem to matter no longer. Truly we have been reduced to the lowest common denominator. Students of history remember that President Harry Truman fired Douglas MacArthur, a five-star general, for disrespecting the office of the presidency.

As for Senator Clinton, I recognize her short comings; see the dangers inherent in the degree to which she has formed relationships with the high and mighty in all sectors national and international and I worry about errors in judgment. However, these concerns are tempered by the mouthy irresponsible and ignorant nature of her opponent as well as the cranked up scrutiny to which all women aspiring to positions of power are subjected in our society.  It still seems that men can get away with almost anything but women are dissected under a microscope. Free for discussion is the tone of her voice, color of her hair, practices as a mother, choices made in a long and at times troubled marriage, as well as her attire. And then there are the complaints about emotional reticence. Wonder how all the former male presidents would score if subjected to this contest?

It troubles me that it seems easy to ignore a life-long dedication to service, persistent effort consistently applied, creation of a huge tool box of experience acquired as attorney, First Lady, senator, and Secretary of State. Her curriculum vitae should be envied and valued; particularly so in the troubled, on the verge of self-destruction, world in which we live.

We know virtually nothing about Donald Trump’s financial holdings and machinations. We have not been told how he will separate himself from the ongoing management of his business interests if elected. He has thoroughly revealed himself to be a non-reader. He has no record of public service as a volunteer, philanthropist, or elected official. He is a one-man show, surrounding himself with people he thinks he can trust. These are largely family members who we might consider tied to him only because they know on which side their bread is buttered. In the first presidential debate he unabashedly admitted that he uses every loophole in in the law favoring the wealthy to reduce his taxes and cheat those to whom he owes money.

History has reveal that the elections of such leaders can destroy democracies and countries as well as unleashing of terrible hardship, suffering, death and even genocide. Check out any documentary account of the time of Hitler and the Third Reich for affirmation of this assertion.

So get out there and vote. Urge family members and co-workers to vote. And, by all means, even where a vote has never been cast for the Democratic candidate, cast your vote this year for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. Too much is at stake. The study of history reveals this necessity.

The Tone of Compassionate Capitalism

Meeting with The Nuns on the Bus last Sunday was the best lead into experiencing the Democratic National Convention. It was so much easier to connect with the determination of Bernie Sanders supporters knowing more of the import of the platform about which they are so passionate. The group of women, mostly women religious, who turned out to caucus with The Nuns work where the rubber hits the road; with the homeless, hungry, undereducated, hungry, mentally ill, physically abused, undocumented, uninsured, the rejected and underserved in our country.

 Sr. Simone Campbell led us through thought provoking and substantive table discussion and reporting to the larger group. Her last request was that we describe what things would look like if all these issues of justice, equality and opportunity were remedied. Here is a partial list of the responses:

* immigrants would not longer be perceived as "societal takers"

* there would be no hoops to jump through in order to exercise the right to vote

* geographic borders of voting districts would no longer be gerrymandered to favor political parties

* employers would no longer reduce work hours to avoid offering health insurance covers to employees

* minimum living wages would prevail eliminating the need for multiple jobs for parents

* there would be adequate food or all

* justice would prevail in the distribution of national wealth

* universal health insurance would assist all

* concern for the welfare of workers and their families would win out over greedy protection of profit margin

* homelessness would not be a crime and everyone would have an affordable home

* there would be easy access to service across the spectrum for those who need them

These were just the tip of the iceberg. These discussions enriched my appreciation for all those who have worked so hard to support promotion of governmental programs to achieve these goals. It seems who owe a huge debt of gratitude to Senator Bernie Sanders' campaign. He took on a giant and forged ahead. He and his followers have truly made a difference.

At the end Sr. Simone directed us to cultivate these

"Necessary Virtues"

- Joy, an attitude that is contagious, opens doors, encourages communication and makes change possible

- Holy Curiosity, make it a point to look and to listen being contemplative in your observation of the world, people and events around you

- Responsibility for Sacred Gossip, engage in conversation wherever and with whomever you can on the bus, in the doctor's waiting room, on line at the supermarket asking how people are doing, what they are thinking

- Doing Your Part, whatever you can knowing that even the smallest actions have the power to change the whole