There is another facet to the continuing, disgusting, and satanic abuse of children by Catholic priests that doesn’t focus on the past, but instead concerns the here and now. As Asst. Prof. of Catholic studies Susan Reynolds told CNN, “One of the most painful things is this deep question I have of: Do I trust my church with my kids? And the answer right now is: Kinda, no.”
What do faithful Catholics do when they don’t trust the leadership of their own church?
Reynolds is in Georgia. Columnist Salena Zito is in Pittsburgh and the Pennsylvania state grand jury that discovered alleged sexual abuse in 54 of the state’s 67 counties hit particularly hard for her.
She writes: "I attended Nativity of Our Lord, over on Pittsburgh's North Side. I adored father John Maloney, a young priest who came to our church when I was 5 years old… We were taught to respect and revere his station. It wasn't hard; he was young, handsome and charismatic. He heard my first confession… and did my first Holy Communion, which is a monumental moment for a young Catholic child. When father Maloney was transferred to another parish when I was 11, I was sad. When father Maloney's name appeared on the list of deviant offenders last week, I was devastated.”
Who was the church hierarchy protecting when these evil, deviant priests were moved from parish to parish where they were presented with new victims to harvest from among a trusting congregation? It certainly wasn’t the children. These priests are simply murderers of the soul. How many young lives and young souls can be sacrificed before protecting the Catholic Church’s reputation becomes an evil in itself?
The bishops and cardinals and popes that let these abuses continue without a thorough cleansing of the church have now discovered what it is to sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.
Tim Reidy, a Pittsburgh architect, knows how these parents feel, because he is one. “Do [Catholic parents] want to send their kids to Catholic high school if they don't trust? Do they donate money? Are they worried that their money that they donate to church is going to be spent fighting lawsuits?”
“These are questions that everybody has,” he said. “But if our pastors aren't willing to name the ultimate problem that's leading to these questions in the open, then how can they expect us to not scatter like chickens with our heads cut off?”
How can they indeed.
It is time to hold the church to account. These constant revelations of abuse that now circumnavigate the globe are too much. If Pope Francis doesn’t do something to completely reform how the papacy deals with deviant priests; while taking steps to cleanse the church of those that have offended and those that covered up the offenses; and then create a priesthood where preventing the abuse of children is taken seriously; then it’s time for a new pope that will.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker’s bureau. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian’s Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!)." Read more of Michael Shannon's reports — Go Here Now.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.