Our Church: Divinely Inspired, Human, Gifted, Sinful, and Hopeful (Part 6 of a Series)

September 29, 2018

In recent weeks, the Church has once again “been brought to our knees” as we have become aware of the allegations against the retired Theodore Cardinal McCarrick of Washington D.C. and the exposure of the clergy sexual abuse in the six Dioceses of the State of Pennsylvania.

As we look back to view our weaknesses and our sinfulness, and as we move forward to transparency and new life for our future, we realize that this process will take a painfully long time, happening in a variety of places at a variety of times.

We are a Universal Church. The institutional Church will slowly and completely be examined by a variety of sources in which they will find some Church leaders cooperating more readily than others.

The last intense legal and media exposure of clergy sexual abuse happened in 2010. At that time, I ran a series of seven Pastor’s Columns that I hoped would help all of us to better understand this reality and to find some peace as we moved forward.

I am now posting these Columns over seven weeks, again in the hope they will provide better understanding and peace, at this time.

Pastor’s Column #6 was written by William Wan in an article in the Washington Post on April 2, 2010. It deals with the struggle that clergy across the country have in regard to how to address this issue with their repective Congregations.

As Easter Nears, Priests Struggle with How, Whether to Address Church Scandals.

This article is an insert in today’s bulletin.

If you would like to read Pastor’s Column #1 in this series, What Does It Mean to Be Catholic, by Deacon Greg Kendra, or Pastor’s Column #2 in this series, Why I Remain a Catholic, by Elizabeth Scalia, or Pastor’s Column #3 in this series, The Catholic Church’s Catastrophe by Peggy Noonan, or Pastor’s Column #4 in this series, Homily at the Easter Vigil, April 3, 2010, by Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin and Primate of Ireland, or Pastor’s Column #5 in this series, We Are Being Forced to Our Knees by Bishop Raymond Lucker, please go to www.stmoside.org; then click Menu, then News, and then Pastor’s Column.

As Easter Nears, Priests Struggle with How,
Whether to Address Church Scandals

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/01/AR2010040103771.html

or Google William Wan and As Easter Nears, Priests Struggle with How, Whether to Address Church Scandal