I attended Catholic grade school, high school, a Jesuit college, and took graduate courses at a Catholic university. I taught CCD in my parish. My daughters each sang in the church choir, the oldest until she graduated high school. My dad sang in the St. Philomena Men's Choir for years (they even recorded an album which he proudly reminds anyone when conversation about choirs arises) and he served as cantor at that same church for 20 years. Both of my brothers were altar boys. When I was in eighth grade, I was chosen as May Queen for my parish's annual May procession.
The recent Pa. Attorney General's grand jury report on the sexual abuse of children in six Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses has little to do with faith and everything to do with power. It sickens me.
I ache for the survivors' stolen childhoods, all lost sense of safety, and the abhorrent memories they grapple with as they navigate life beyond. The mob mentality of diocesan and Vatican hierarchy in covering up the abuse and protecting pedophile priests who continued to have unfettered access to children speaks to a deplorable fealty to power.
Power - the great corrupter.
And who are the powerful running the business of religion? Men.
Who protected the priests abusing children? Men.
Who abused the children? Men.
Who tried to stop the publication of the grand jury report? Men.
In the spring of 2012, the Vatican, then under the papacy of now retired Benedict XVI, chose to reprimand Catholic nuns in the Leadership Conference of Women Religious for "serious doctrinal problems." An American bishop's report concluded that the nuns' social works flew in the face of church teachings.
Specifically, the report noted the group's support of the health care overhaul under President Obama after the American bishops opposed it in 2010. While the differing beliefs on health care was the surface issue being addressed, the language and intention of this reprimand is what received the most attention.
The report took issue with the nuns who "disagree with or challenge the bishops, who are the church’s authentic teachers of faith and morals.” It further noted the sisters had challenged church teaching on homosexuality and the male-only priesthood, and promoted “radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.”
My first thought was, "Oh my goodness - they are going after the nuns!" While reports of a long history of priests abusing children flooded the airwaves, the Vatican took a ruler and figuratively cracked the knuckles of women who have faithfully served the poor and needy without a whisper of the horrors wrought by pedophile priests.
As for "authentic teachers of faith and morals," I cringed at the audacity of that statement.
The contrast was stunning. The Greek proverb - Physician, heal Thyself - immediately came to mind. Voices rose quickly in disbelief and rebuke as those of us taught by nuns saw the unbalanced reprimand of these ardent social workers for Christ. I saw it as corporate run misogyny.
At a reunion of my grade school classmates, the Immaculate Heart of Mary sister who taught us in eighth grade was also in attendance. We spoke about this reprimand and she smiled and said how surprising and heartwarming it was to see the public's vocal response in support of the nuns.
These women have served fiercely without a pinprick of the stain made by pedophile men serving as priests. And yet the reprimand was made. Heal thyself indeed.
In college, I wrote a paper supporting the need for female priests for a theology class. The young Jesuit who taught the class struck up a conversation with me about the topic. He noted Biblical doctrine and tradition as the basis for this male only "calling" which was/is consistent with the Church's steadfast adherence to the male only club today. Christ chose the Apostles - they were all men - end of story.
I recall thinking that if these are the rules, then these are the rules. It was a tidy conclusion. The child abuse documented over seven decades moved me to forego attending Mass years ago. I no longer trusted the hierarchy. The unimpeded protection of priests in power crushed my spirit and enthusiasm for Catholic ritual.
There are well over 1 billion members of the worldwide Catholic church and women are not represented in decision making or leadership roles. This imbalance is untenable. It is absolutism.
Men have wrought and supported the child abuse disgrace. What makes us believe they can fix it? Where is the substantive resolve to change the backroom machinations that supported 70 years of these crimes? Seven decades!
The corporate church continues to be reticent to change because it has so much to lose in money and membership.
I believe in the singular message of Christ - love one another.
The rest of the rules are man's attempt to figure out how to run the business. Until women play a substantive role in church hierarchy, until female voices are included in the running of the church business and decision making, I'll take my faith and my femininity elsewhere.
Link to PA Attorney General website re: grand jury report 8/14/18
Link to
article re: Vatican reprimand of nuns
Link to PA grand jury
report
Link to Vatican reply to the grand jury report
