There’s an obsession in Rome about rigid personalities. And there is something to it.
In a Crux interview Cardinal Ouellet says this:
“Sometimes that’s abuse,” Ouellet said, adding, “With rigidity, it seems that everything is very uptight, very controlled, but look behind, and sometimes, in those mentalities, you have cases of abuse. So, rigidity is not a guarantee that you have perfect morals.”
I have known a handful of convicted abusers in my 42 years as a priest. The most notorious one in the Diocese of Savannah, now mercifully dead and experiencing his just reward, was far from rigid. He does not fit whatsoever the description of Cardinal Ouellet nor do the other ones that I am aware of, all no longer in ministry and all paying the penalty for their crimes. Thus, I fear this smoke screen of rigidity talk can make people think that the super flexible are safe. Are they?
Being committed to the Truth (Jesus Christ) and the doctrines and morals of the Church isn’t rigidity, it is faithfulness to the perennial Magisterium of the Church, Heterodoxy and the abuse of Truth and those who hold it is a product of flexibility and a commitment to passing fads and worldly trends as well as psychology and pseudo science.
There’s ample evidence from those priests who have been convicted of crimes or at least accused as to their psychological make-up and the way they lived their priesthood. Let’s be fair about this.
And for every rigid sex abuser, there are many more flexible “Cardinal McCarricks”!
And for every abuser in a rigid religious order or diocese, how many are there in the super flexible Jesuits and liberal dioceses? Let’s be fair!
I do agree with Cardinal Ouellet on this:
Ouellet also spoke of the problems of clericalism, meaning the perception that priests and members of the Church hierarchy enjoy an exalted status and laity are expected to show deference and obedience to their orders.
This perception of “the sacredness of priests” was a factor in many abuse cases, not only of sexual abuse, but also abuses of power and conscience, Ouellet said, calling it a “deviation” of the priestly vocation which the Church still has not grasped.
“The spirituality of the priest is grounded in the incarnation, Christ’s incarnation, the washing of the feet, that’s the basis of our spirituality: humility, humility, not to be grown out of our ego,” he said. “Our ego must disappear and serve the ego of Christ, that’s the key of the priesthood.”
Ouellet voiced his belief that the Church is just beginning to understand the problem of clericalism, which he said is multifaceted and contains layers the Church has not yet uncovered.
“If the priest says, ‘I am ordained, so I am the one that is commanding here, and women are second rank,’ then I am falling into clericalism,” he said, but noted that there can also be a streak of clericalism amongst the laity.
But, I have to ask does this description describe all young priests today or is it more of a product of the “spirit of Vatican II” priests, especially those ordained prior to the council, who took advantage of their position after Vatican II to push heterodox positions, their own theology, their own way of celebrating Mass and their own morals (actually immorality) and convince everyone they met that they were right and the old ways of thinking and doing things were completely wrong? You have to convince people that what is wrong is right and what is right is wrong. That happened after the Council! Let’s place the blame evenly please!
6 comments:
I think maybe PF and his minions should consider this when accusing traditionalists of rejecting Vatican II:
"The “spirit of Vatican II” is pretty much DIY Catholicism. The “spirit of Vatican II” advocates have done as much as anyone to delegitimize Vatican II. With friends like these who need enemies?"
Today's Catholic clergy are heavy-handed only with conservatives; everybody else gets a listen-to. As for the women folk, priests are scared to death of them. Let a man weigh in with a criticism and he's likely to be told to go stuff himself; but just let one of the parish harpies corner Father after Mass and the whole congregation will be bottlenecked at the exit until she's had her say.
"Harpies" And they wonder why so many priests want nothing to do with the traddies...
William,
An example of 'toxic femininity'? of course you can't say that. In the modern lexicon misogyny counts as a hate crime whereas misandry gets a pass.
I'll stick with misanthropy, lest anyone accuse me of partiality.
Fr K,
And Dems calling Republicans “Nazis” no wonder we think Dems are insane
After Quillet spends a year in prison like a real man, Cardinal Pell, I will listen to what he has to say. Otherwise he can naff off
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