Lacy Wright – Letter From WashingtonTHE LEADERSHIP of one of the United States' most formidable institutions is enduring a firestorm of criticism these days as Catholic bishops struggle to defend themselves against accusations of having tolerated, and even protected, paedophile priests.
I was raised a Catholic and got the full treatment: grade school run by nuns, Catholic boys' high school, mass every Sunday, service as an altar boy, and all the rest. Today, I act as a part-time consultant to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in the area of migration. Against that background, I have some pronounced reactions to the current mess that go, however, in more than one direction.
First, I am shocked at the number of cases of apparent sexual abuse that are coming to light. My own experience with the many priests I have known did not prepare me for these accusations.
Particularly surprising is the age of most of the men in question. If they had entered the priesthood in the last 10 years, a period when men with homosexual tendencies are being attracted to the priesthood in significant proportions, their involvement in these situations would be more understandable. But the priests under accusation are in their 50s, 60s and 70s. They were ordained at a time when tolerance for gay men in American Catholic seminaries was close to zero, and students who 'acted out' in a homosexual way faced immediate expulsion.
Second, I feel conflicted about the degree of blame that should be laid on bishops who failed to expel priests who had committed acts of abuse. On the one hand, the behaviour of some priests was scandalous and repulsive, and it is hard to see how the head of a diocese could even have considered running the risk that such behaviour might repeat itself.
On the other hand, a one-strike-and-you're-out policy practically goes against a core Catholic belief - that the worst sinner can be redeemed and rehabilitated. In fact, despite tremendous pressure on them to do so, the American cardinals have so far stopped short of declaring that one act of abuse will mean automatic expulsion.
But what finally pains me most about the Church's predicament is that it is weakening an institution that I believe is a tremendous force for good in the world. In the United States, Catholic schools, hospitals, and social service agencies enjoy a reputation for excellence, and, incidentally, assume a large social burden that otherwise would fall to the civil authorities and would almost certainly not be performed as well.
In the world's most destitute countries, including places where Catholics are few in number, agencies like Catholic Relief Services, the Jesuit Refugee Service, and local Caritas offices are in the forefront of those forces assisting the poor, protecting the weak, and, often, helping preserve social peace. In Jamaica, where Catholics are fewer than 10 per cent of the population, a handful of dynamic Catholic priests play an important role in the social life of the nation.
It is this far-flung religious network, and the many thousands of dedicated priests, sisters and laypeople who serve it, that is the most undeserving victim of this scandal. With the US Catholic hierarchy now the target of censure inside and outside the Church, the public apologies, the court depositions, the astronomical cash settlements, the impact on the Church's moral authority has been severe.
It would be a terrible irony if, in their zeal to achieve justice for the victims of abusive priests, the American Catholic church's critics did serious damage to an institution that is doing so much good in so many places.
Lacy Wright was Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Kingston and acted as Ambassador in 1993-1994. He can be reached at LacyWright@cox.net.
