When The Clergy Scandal Hit Home
Posted by Bill Lucey's Opinions at 4/16/2008 11:58 PM and is filed under uncategorized 
During his first full day visiting the United States, Pope Benedict XVI on Wednesday tried to put his best foot forward to repent for the Catholic Church’s sins, telling the Roman Catholic leaders gathered in the nation’s capital that the sexual abuse scandal was sometimes handled ``very badly''
Pope Benedict touched on the ``deep shame’’ the scandal caused the church for priests abusing the young and involving themselves in ``gravely immoral behavior.’’
The clergy sex abuse scandal, stunned members of a parish I belonged to in 2002, before cases began popping up like toasters.
I actually attended one of Rev. Don Rooney's last masses at St. Anthony’s of Padua in Parma, Ohio. I remember it so well; he preached about just when you believe things are at their very worst, and you feel yourself in the depths of despair; that’s precisely the moment when things begin to change for the better.
I remember how moved I was and inspired by the hopeful words. A week later, little did I know, the 48 year-old curate would discharge a fatal bullet to his head, while alone in his car in a drug story parking lot.
He was accused of inappropriate behavior stemming from a 1980 incident with a young girl. Naturally, shock followed within the parish, most disbelieving the charges, insisting the mere allegations drove him to his grave.
But the woman who alerted the diocese to the incident, according to newspaper reports, was followed by another woman’s testimony, then a third woman came forward, alleging she was groped as well.
The funeral was splashed on page one of The New York Times; as questions began to mount whether Fr Rooney should even be granted the courtesy of a funeral by the church. Bishop Anthony Pilla said during the sermon that ''our God does not give up on anyone,’’
This was only the beginning of the scandal that rocked not only Boston and Cuyahoga County, but that quickly became a nationwide discrace and humiliation for all Catholics.
According the 2008 Catholic Almanac, in 2004, there were 1,092 cases of sexual abuse against the clergy; in 2005-783; and in 2006- 718 fresh allegations of cases against priests were filed.
Taken together, the cost to the church from sexual abuse scandals exceeded $1.9 billion, dating back to 1950, including $75.1 million in legal fees, $10.6 million to support groups for children, and another $25.6 million in child protection fees.
So when Pope Benedict says he feels ``deep shame’’ and hurt for what priests from his own flock inflicted on innocent children, you have to wonder why it has taken so long for the papacy to make amends for its sins.
Why did Pope Benedict have to wait until he stepped foot in the United States to address such a widespread scandal that tore apart the church, made disbelievers out of believers, have turned young men away from choosing the priesthood as their vocation, and have cast thousands of devoted and decent priests under a dark cloud of suspicion from which they may never come out of.
For the aftershocks of the scandal, look no further than the priest shortage that is reaching its tipping point.
Tom Groome, professor of Theology and Religious Education at Boston College thinks ``the crisis in priest shortage; has only just begun to close parishes - the worst is yet to come, and this will be throughout the whole American Catholic church, not just in Boston. We will see many vital Catholic Christian communities closed, the author of ``What Makes Us Catholic, wrote in an email, and the only real reason will be for lack of a priest - a very poor reason for closing a parish.’’
One of the most disappointing chapters of the scandal was just when Catholics needed a pope to turn to for leadership and moral guidance during a critical stage of its history, Pope John Paul II was in the last phase of his life, feeble, broken down, and completely disengaged from an institution falling apart at the seems.
I never quite understood why John Paul as incapacitated as he was during the last years of his life, didn’t volunteer to step down and turn the reigns over to someone better able to steer the church through its storm.
Three years later, it is now left up to Pope Benedict to try to pick up the broken pieces and restore faith to the church badly damaged and spirits broken.
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
Pope Benedict touched on the ``deep shame’’ the scandal caused the church for priests abusing the young and involving themselves in ``gravely immoral behavior.’’
The clergy sex abuse scandal, stunned members of a parish I belonged to in 2002, before cases began popping up like toasters.
I actually attended one of Rev. Don Rooney's last masses at St. Anthony’s of Padua in Parma, Ohio. I remember it so well; he preached about just when you believe things are at their very worst, and you feel yourself in the depths of despair; that’s precisely the moment when things begin to change for the better.
I remember how moved I was and inspired by the hopeful words. A week later, little did I know, the 48 year-old curate would discharge a fatal bullet to his head, while alone in his car in a drug story parking lot.
He was accused of inappropriate behavior stemming from a 1980 incident with a young girl. Naturally, shock followed within the parish, most disbelieving the charges, insisting the mere allegations drove him to his grave.
But the woman who alerted the diocese to the incident, according to newspaper reports, was followed by another woman’s testimony, then a third woman came forward, alleging she was groped as well.
The funeral was splashed on page one of The New York Times; as questions began to mount whether Fr Rooney should even be granted the courtesy of a funeral by the church. Bishop Anthony Pilla said during the sermon that ''our God does not give up on anyone,’’
This was only the beginning of the scandal that rocked not only Boston and Cuyahoga County, but that quickly became a nationwide discrace and humiliation for all Catholics.
According the 2008 Catholic Almanac, in 2004, there were 1,092 cases of sexual abuse against the clergy; in 2005-783; and in 2006- 718 fresh allegations of cases against priests were filed.
Taken together, the cost to the church from sexual abuse scandals exceeded $1.9 billion, dating back to 1950, including $75.1 million in legal fees, $10.6 million to support groups for children, and another $25.6 million in child protection fees.
So when Pope Benedict says he feels ``deep shame’’ and hurt for what priests from his own flock inflicted on innocent children, you have to wonder why it has taken so long for the papacy to make amends for its sins.
Why did Pope Benedict have to wait until he stepped foot in the United States to address such a widespread scandal that tore apart the church, made disbelievers out of believers, have turned young men away from choosing the priesthood as their vocation, and have cast thousands of devoted and decent priests under a dark cloud of suspicion from which they may never come out of.
For the aftershocks of the scandal, look no further than the priest shortage that is reaching its tipping point.
Tom Groome, professor of Theology and Religious Education at Boston College thinks ``the crisis in priest shortage; has only just begun to close parishes - the worst is yet to come, and this will be throughout the whole American Catholic church, not just in Boston. We will see many vital Catholic Christian communities closed, the author of ``What Makes Us Catholic, wrote in an email, and the only real reason will be for lack of a priest - a very poor reason for closing a parish.’’
One of the most disappointing chapters of the scandal was just when Catholics needed a pope to turn to for leadership and moral guidance during a critical stage of its history, Pope John Paul II was in the last phase of his life, feeble, broken down, and completely disengaged from an institution falling apart at the seems.
I never quite understood why John Paul as incapacitated as he was during the last years of his life, didn’t volunteer to step down and turn the reigns over to someone better able to steer the church through its storm.
Three years later, it is now left up to Pope Benedict to try to pick up the broken pieces and restore faith to the church badly damaged and spirits broken.
-Bill Lucey
billlucey@bellsouth.net
Well said.
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