The Catholic Church Continues to Give Hypocrisy a Bad Name
The Catholic Church was once a blood brother in the warmongering, corrupt triad of eurasian armies with armed monks, the incestuous monarchies and state religion commanded by the city state that became the Vatican and the home of the Pope, the nation state of the Catholic Church. Before the Henry the Eighth sexually motivated break, it battled with the Muslims for control of the Holy Land, winning some battles but ultimately losing the war. Bill Maher belonged in the Catholic Church of that time, but not the evolving one that I hope I see emerging today.
The holy land remained outside of the control of Catholic, Protestant or Jewish authority until the controversial creation of Israel in 1948. I support the right of Israel to exist, acknowledging all of the injustices committed by all sides in that arena from the beginning and in so much of human history. Show me a place anywhere in the world inhabited by human beings, give me a little time and if there is written or oral history to be researched, I will show you a lot of injustice committed in human actions against other humans that will revolt you.
In more modern times the Catholic Church has renounced violence, becoming significantly but not completely pacifist, a goal I support and admire. The Church asserts its transnational rights on the basis of it’s agenda of searching and supporting human dignity first, at least it does so in the US where it can get away with it. It denounces the sovereign rights of the United States to have and enforce immigration laws on the basis that humans are not always accorded the dignity god wants them to have. Today the Pope’s TV surrogates emphasized that his agenda is not nation based, rather that his agenda transcends nations and is based on the search for human dignity. To be sure to distance himself from Bush, he refused a state dinner with the President. I might consider doing that same thing but for different reasons.
Today the Pope says he is deeply ashamed of the sexual abuse committed in America (or is it just exposed in America?) and wanted to assure everyone that it will never happen again in the Catholic Church. I give him credit for such a clear statement. But why no apology?
So many questions bubbling up, but one seems to be particularly jangling given the Pope’s view that the US does not have a right to protect its borders by enforcing its laws due to human considerations which should come before all.
Why then does the Catholic Church hide behind and exploit various US laws and procedures to try to evade or minimize it’s exposure of the than embarrassing sexual abuse of children, which was overlooked by Bishops who retain their positions.
What about that element of human dignity the Catholic Church now hypocritically ignores, even TODAY while the Pope was speaking, to take advantage of US regulations that protect the Church due to the passage of time? Why does it use some laws and feel it has the right to work against other laws. Why not look beyond US laws as it does with immigration laws, to enhance human dignity and accept responsibility for those whose rights have expired because their human dignity was seriously taken away so long ago?
When will the Church make amends to those many who kept silent so long that US laws now protect the Catholic church from prosecution?
Not being an insider, I do not know, but here is an outside clue: The Catholic Church has so far been forced to dispense 2 billion dollars in legal settlements. Yes, they want this embarrassing event to stop, stop the bleeding of their coffers. Hang the dignity of a person who kept quiet too long and has lived for decades with who knows what kind of shame, embarrassment and psychological disruptions.
So the first persons loss of dignity decades ago seems not to be equal in the eyes of the Churck to the loss of dignity experienced by mostly hardworking family men trying to make money to support their family who happens to be a citizen of another country is held accountable for breaking that law. What is the real difference in these two different circumstances of human dignity?
The first deserves for the Church to compensate him and the second is part of a fine group of people who are inclined to give the Church money.
Pay money or get money? A transnational agenda for sure.
The Catholic Church, despite stated good intentions and vast improvements from the embarrassing inquisitions and so on, continues to give hypocrisy a bad name.
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Comment by Mcsnark on 16 April 2008:
An interesting anti-catholic, anti-papist diatribe. Sounds like an agnostic if not an athiest.
Comment by Dr Shermy on 16 April 2008:
Mcsnark, after you are done guessing about my motivation, what do you think of the real issue? The Pope supports and encourages illegal immigration in this country and chastising us for(sometimes) enforcing our immigration laws but the Pope refuses to do the right thing for adults sexually abused as youngsters by hiding behind our very laws he says are secondary to human dignity? Is that not one of the most common definition of hypocrisy…saying one thing and doing another?
I worry that these two issues together will give Lou Dobbs apoplexy….
Comment by Shea on 17 April 2008:
As Catholics we believe that each and every human being is created in the image and likeness of God. We believe in the dignity of each person, nothing is secondary to that belief. The pope does not encourage illegal immigration, he asks that we treat all with respect and dignity. I see your point about the laws which fail to fully protect those who were abused and are unable to seek the protection of the law due to the time limitations.
In the US, members of the clergy (all denominations) have come forward to support the elimination of the time frames.
Comment by Dr Shermy on 17 April 2008:
Shea, thanks for understanding the time limitation issue. However, according to court documents, the Catholic Church used every legal maneuver the mob might use in trying to avoid responsibility until some “hide the facts” legal rulings went against them. Only after that did human dignity surface.
My purpose for airing some of the duplicity and hypocrisy in the sex abuse which has probably gone on for centuries all over the world along with so much secular abuse, is not to tear the church down but to emphasize that due to its self proclaimed moral pulpit and it’s large world wide following of those who accept it as a moral guide, it has an obligation and an opportunity to do what is necessary to bring about sorely needed improvements in national, religious and human affairs. We need to move out of the barbarity so close to the surface and all too often on the surface.
The Catholic Church has a unique opportunity to help nations, different religions and different peoples all over the world find a way to forgive and forget and let history begin today rather than living lives determined to correct real or imagined insults from yesterday or centuries ago or to defeat those who have different religious beliefs, let alone avenge prior religious wars.
To continue to have that opportunity, it must lead the world toward a higher morality, by example, and not by being forced by the US legal system, which it rejects completely and violates when it chooses. It can never again reluctantly accept responsibility for what so many in the chain of command knew of or participated in. And if there are other untoward issues brewing, to clean them up immediately.
Next and perhaps even more importantly, it must find the new words, the new expressions, the new ways to teach its professionals and its followers to put forth their beliefs in ways that will successfully create tolerance and unity between and among different faiths, such as sunnis, jews, shia, buddhists, atheists, spiritualists and others.
So many religious beliefs have been a matter of interpretation as the historical changes of every religion, especially documented in the Catholic Church demonstrates, due to politics, specific leaders, new learnings and other human endeavors. Every Sunday in America, many different and conflicting interpretations of the Bible are dispensed to followers by individual ordained clergy. The same is true across the world when one Iman teaches hatred of infidels and another teaches tolerance.
The Catholic Church should lead the interfaith community to find a way to find unity and dignity expressions and importantly to eliminate the fighting words, such as my way is the only way as it is expressed in so many ways and which stimulates separation rather than finding commonalities so needed. How else will human dignity become the most cherished result everywhere which is needed for it to really exist anywhere for the masses. Some current methods of expression in most religions are in great need of serious review in the pursuit of human dignity. The review must start, with a jump start from the top of every movement or religions and I expect, hope, pray and beg the Catholic Church to lead that parade, without criminalizing non believers or spiritualists and those who have a different view than the “majors”.