The New Faith
Plagued by sex scandals and shrouded in secrecy, can the Catholic Church Survive?
Ben Harley
Issue date: 1/19/10 Section: Opinion
Finally, every Catholic must wonder why the church feels the need to cover-up some scandals. By not reporting the abuses immediately, it seems that the entire church condones such vile behavior. However, it is more complicated than that.
According to Turner, there is no way a priest can tell anyone information that he has learned during confession, "Under the rubric of the sacramental seal, there's nothing that I can do" he said, "If I broke the seal I could never hear confession again in my life"
Lawyers might believe that Catholic priests are hiding behind the sacrament, but that is not the case. The sacrament of reconciliation is one of the church's most sacred rights. There is a trust and understanding involved. It is a priest's moral duty to never disclose what was discussed in confession.
So if the information is learned during confession, there is no way that a priest can let the authorities know. However, if the information is learned outside of confession, but it is labeled as a secret, the question as to whether or not to disclose the information falls to the discretion of whoever was told the secret.
"The Handbook of Moral Theology" says that no one should ever tell another's secret sins unless the public or private good requires it. Most priests would say that telling the authorities about sexual molestation would fall under protecting the public and private good, but in some older churches (especially ones as well respected and strong as Ireland's) there was another logic at work.
"I honestly believe that they thought the were protecting us" said Fletcher, "When you have separate cultures, and clerics are held to such a high standard, if one falls it causes a crisis of the faithful."
Alas, Fletcher asserts that a crisis of the faithful has happened. She believes we now have a large group of young Irish who feel betrayed by the church and are morally lost. So how does the church reconcile these problems?
They must give up the culture of secrecy that has surrounded the clergy for years. They must be open, honest and candid to both their followers and the secular media if they wish to survive as an institution.
"If we go back to those essentials, the rest will fall into place" asserts Turner, "We need to preach well, teach well, minister well and take care of the sick well."
However, it may be too late for change. "They have lost their privileged place in society," said Fletcher, "No one will stand for a cover-up anymore - that was the routine of the past."
It is a difficult time for the church. It is a time of change. Yet, I believe that it will be able to survive this scandal. It has survived worse scandals - just ask the people of Avignon, France - and it always survives with its faith stronger, and its resolve more blessed.
According to Turner, there is no way a priest can tell anyone information that he has learned during confession, "Under the rubric of the sacramental seal, there's nothing that I can do" he said, "If I broke the seal I could never hear confession again in my life"
Lawyers might believe that Catholic priests are hiding behind the sacrament, but that is not the case. The sacrament of reconciliation is one of the church's most sacred rights. There is a trust and understanding involved. It is a priest's moral duty to never disclose what was discussed in confession.
So if the information is learned during confession, there is no way that a priest can let the authorities know. However, if the information is learned outside of confession, but it is labeled as a secret, the question as to whether or not to disclose the information falls to the discretion of whoever was told the secret.
"The Handbook of Moral Theology" says that no one should ever tell another's secret sins unless the public or private good requires it. Most priests would say that telling the authorities about sexual molestation would fall under protecting the public and private good, but in some older churches (especially ones as well respected and strong as Ireland's) there was another logic at work.
"I honestly believe that they thought the were protecting us" said Fletcher, "When you have separate cultures, and clerics are held to such a high standard, if one falls it causes a crisis of the faithful."
Alas, Fletcher asserts that a crisis of the faithful has happened. She believes we now have a large group of young Irish who feel betrayed by the church and are morally lost. So how does the church reconcile these problems?
They must give up the culture of secrecy that has surrounded the clergy for years. They must be open, honest and candid to both their followers and the secular media if they wish to survive as an institution.
"If we go back to those essentials, the rest will fall into place" asserts Turner, "We need to preach well, teach well, minister well and take care of the sick well."
However, it may be too late for change. "They have lost their privileged place in society," said Fletcher, "No one will stand for a cover-up anymore - that was the routine of the past."
It is a difficult time for the church. It is a time of change. Yet, I believe that it will be able to survive this scandal. It has survived worse scandals - just ask the people of Avignon, France - and it always survives with its faith stronger, and its resolve more blessed.
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