Catholic Church confronting the demons within
Dear Editor,
It is reported that in about 1807 the Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Erole Consalvi asked Napoleon Bonaparte when he threatened to crush the Roman Catholic Church, “If in 1,800 years we clergy have failed to destroy the Church, do you really think that you will be able to do it?”
This recalls the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:18, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”
The Church, since its inception 2,019 years ago, has been facing and overcoming demons without and within. In recent years, it seems that the demons within are threatening to totally destroy the moral integrity of the Church.
In February, the Archbishop of Brisbane, Australia, agreed with his British Broadcasting Corporation interviewer that the moral authority of the Church has been massively damaged by years of sex abuse scandals. Sex scandals have not only involved minor boys and young men but also girls and women, and they have affected the Church across the globe.
It is my opinion that the failings in this matter are not only that of the clergy, but also that of the congregation which seems to have fallen for the position of hear, see and know no evil; and, in some cases, have been complicit in the misconduct.
The terrestrial Church is the clergy and the congregation combined.
Matthew 16:18 has never meant there must be inaction from the Church waiting for an overt sign from God.
It is now time for the Church to act to address the demons within, if they are not to further severely undermine it at this point in its history, eroding its ability to confront the demons without.
Challenging though it may be, a concerned Catholic is calling upon the bishops of Jamaica and the Caribbean to implement greater transparency in the Church; institute better management and oversight, engage in confidence-building within the congregation and further act to address the problems besetting the Church.
It is my hope that Pope Francis, from his recent meeting in Rome, will be presenting a Plan of Action to address all sex scandals and misconduct of the clergy and laity for immediate implementation.
Concerned Catholic
