This article is from America Magazine and is quite good, but with some striking omissions. It is worth reading.
Father Hans Zollner on the German sex abuse report, Pope Benedict and the future of the Church
I agree with everything Fr. Zollner offers but here is what he fails to do or fails to connect the dots:
1.
He says most of the abuse in Germany (and elsewhere, like the USA) took
place in the 1960's and 70's. Yet he makes no connections about how the
bishops implemented Vatican II, created a lax environment for priests
to experiment with their sexuality and the sexual and moral immaturity
of these priests and that Vatican II was implemented so quickly and in
the most pre-Vatican II authoritarian way possible. There is no connection made between the abuse mainly directed toward adolescent boys from priests who are homosexual incapable of a celibate commitment and openness to accepting practicing homosexuals into the seminary and bishops unfaithful to their vows in a similar way.
2. There's no mention of the confusion that reigned after the Council on the identity of the priest, making him into a sort of social worker and the blurring of the baptismal and Holy Order roles of the clergy and laity, a sort of laicization of the clergy and a clericalization of the laity.
3. There's no mention of the loss of Catholic identity in the post-Vatican II era, theologians who questioned everything, especially in the areas of sexual morality and promoted as normal all kinds of things taught as disodered by the pre-Vatican II Church.
4. Ultimately the bishops allowed chaos to reign in the Church of this period, in their dioceses and in the priesthood and religious life as well as in parishes.
5. Laxity in the immediate post Vatican II seminary, the loosening of standards for admittance into the seminary, both psychology and intellectual, and the loss of supervision and rules in the seminary as well as traditional spirituality, formation and Church teaching, has to account for much of this.
6. But yes, it all has to be laid at the feet of the Vatican, the bishops and those who advised them to change the Church and its identity and thus create chaos and ruin in the 1960's and 70's from which we still suffer and now with a new emphasis on returning to that very chaos in the present day. Enough!
3 comments:
Father, I share your concerns about the diminishment and confusion applied to the priesthood during the postconciliar period. However, there was plenty of homosexuality and sexual abuse going on BEFORE the council. One famous Cardinal, archbishop of a major American see, has been posthumously "outed" and he is just the tip of the iceberg. Vatican II didn't make anything better, but I think we need to be honest about the problem. Perhaps I've missed your point?
My point is that the German studies and the American studies both point out that the majority of the abuse was in the aftermath of Vatican II when discipline and disciplinary actions were loosened. Perhaps pre Vatican II discipline as well as moral teachings kept the concupiscence of the clergy in check. Of course abuse and sexual acting out did occur in the pre Vatican II Church.
When rectories were fuller there was probably less risk of abuse. It would be interesting to know if the majority of the cases occurred were priests were off on their own. Safety in numbers
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