In this morning’s Savannah News Press:
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Church must practice what it preaches
Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer Diocese of Savannah
I first want to thank those of you who took the time to share your thoughts and feelings regarding the morality crisis in the Catholic church today. I agree that words alone are meaningless. We need to take swift and serious action to clean up our own house. As a relatively new bishop, I am scandalized, angered and deeply hurt by the cover-ups that have occurred over the last 70 years. I was not even born when some of this disgusting behaviorFortunately, during my childhood and throughout my lifetime, I came to know hundreds of priests and sisters who taught and guided me. Many are deceased now, but my gratitude and my prayerful remembrance of them will continue until the end of my life. I am so sorry that some of you did not have the same experience. I still share your anger and shame. I am embarrassed to be a bishop. I simply want to be a Franciscan priest. But if I can be more helpful to change this culture of immorality as a bishop, then I will continue.
We need the help of the laity to correct the horrific behavior of the clergy of the past. The Dallas Charter of 2002 has been effective in creating safer parishes and schools for our children. Please support your parish priest and me as we, together, strive to cease this sinful and criminal activity occurring within our church. We now need to create a charter to review the behavior of bishops.
As a result of this current crisis, I will never look upon the crucifix quite the same way. I see Jesus’ pain so much more vividly now. I now see more clearly our sins for which Jesus died. We can only make restitution by a significant change in our own lives. There is no free ticket to heaven. Dante is believed to have said that “the floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bad bishops and priests.” That is certainly a sobering thought.
Pope Francis calls us to prayer and penance for the intention of the victims of sexual abuse. We must also urge the bishops to open the closed doors of secrecy and let in the Spirit of Truth. We must practice what we preach.
2 comments:
More euphemisms. It’s not “morality.” It’s homosexual clerical incontinence. Call it by its name.
'We need the help of the laity to correct the horrific behavior of the clergy of the past.' How does one 'correct' something which has happened already? And reviewing the past behaviour of bishops is not a matter for a 'charter', which is simply a declaration of principles.
After a handful of high-profile cases in the 1990s the then Archbishop of Westminster commissioned Lord Justice Nolan (a Catholic) to investigate clerical child abuse in England and Wales. The result was the 'Nolan Report' of 2001. One of its recommendations was that a simple allegation against a priest would result in his being sent on 'administrative leave' pending an investigation by the authorities. This draconian measure was contrary to both Canon Law and natural justice. I don't suppose the Dallas Charter was any better. In any case, it was issued at a time relating to which alleged incidents had already fallen dramatically, so to argue its effectiveness would be a case of 'post hoc ergo propter hoc' or, even more absurdly, 'ante hoc ergo propter hoc'.
The fixation with institutional historical abuse (mostly sexual) shows no signs of abating. Future historians will no doubt try to explain it, just as they try to account for the witch-hunts of early modern Europe. There is a disturbing element of irrationality about it. In November 2014 a middle-aged man identified only as 'Nick' went to the police with the bizarre story that he had been abused as a child by a 'VIP paedophile ring' which included former PM Edward Heath and other senior politicians, the heads of MI5 and MI6, and the Chief of the Defence Staff, Field Marshal Lord Bramall. Three of the 'victims' were murdered. The Metropolitan Police stated that the allegations were 'credible and true' and launched a large scale operation which involved the houses of those still living (and one who had recently died) being raided and ransacked. In the case of the then 90-year-old Lord Bramall, his dying wife was in the house when it was raided.
After 18 months and £2.5m of taxpayers' money not a scintilla of evidence was found, but even then the Met would not apologize or admit that the men had been falsely accused. Eventually, after another enquiry had found serious flaws in the investigation, the Met Commissioner did apologize and compensation was paid. In July this year it was announced that 'Nick' would face trial on twelve counts of perverting the course of justice and one of fraud.
That the world-renowned Scotland Yard could be taken in by a serial fantasist is deeply worrying, but symptomatic of the general hysteria. To take another case, Harvey Weinstein may be despicable, but equally despicable are the well-paid actresses who were prepared to benefit from his patronage even after he had allegedly raped them. Since the passage of time is irrelevant in 'abuse' cases, why not demonize George Gershwin who was notorious for sleeping with his leading ladies?
Guilt by accusation is irrational but it underpins this whole sorry saga. The 17th century witch-craze hardly affected Spain, since the officials of the Inquisition were trained lawyers who did not give credence to village gossip or personal malice. An allegation of criminality is only credible if it can be proved to be so in a court of law. If it relates to something which supposedly happened forty, fifty, or sixty years ago, and so cannot be proved, this is all the more reason for treating it with the utmost scepticism. Yet the opposite is argued: because it can't be proved, we must assume it's genuine, or we are doing the 'victims' an injustice. Poppycock, and sinister to boot.
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