The Catholic Church has much to answer for these days. It also has much to live for. The accusations and stories flying through the media are justified; the Church for some men has served as a conduit to vulnerable youth that they had some sexual attraction to. By failing to identify these men and provide for them the help they need, the Church has certainly been shaken, but it has not crumbled.
The majority of students here are young Catholics. I have been in Catholic schools since first grade and a member of several parish communities at different points of my life. I have never been in any way sexually approached or abused by a priest. I have stories that don’t warrant page one attention. Rather, priests have been guiding influences in my life.
One priest in particular is president of my old high school. He is a man of utmost integrity and compassion. He taught me to think philosophically and to be a leader in the community. He has stewarded both the school community and his parish community with great compassion. I have no fear of this man, just as the vast majority of Catholic’s have no fear of the priests they interact with. Many of us have had similar experiences with priests at home and Jesuit priests here on campus. As a Catholic University community, we have the duty to fight the hypocrisy that has occurred and defend the innocent. The actions of a few are unjustly tarnishing the work of the many.
The issue at hand is not a corrupt Catholic Church. Granted, leaders need to be held responsible for not shielding the community from these predators, but there are several key things to bear in mind here. Foremost, pedophilia is a relatively unknown mental health issue that affects a small proportion of men. It is a sickness in the same category the as schizophrenia that Andrea Yates suffers from. Molesting young children is not natural just as systematically drowning your children is not. Yates should be getting mental help and not jail time. Members of the clergy need to be getting help for their problems too and not simply moved about within the diocese.
Changes are needed in the Church, but the mission is strong. For the good of our world let us think of the priests that guide us in life, let us embrace our faith, and let us not condemn but actively work at finding a solution.
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