REGINA: How do the bishops respond?
STEVE: From what I have seen, if you do express your concern to your bishop and you are lucky enough to get a response, the response is typically vague and non-committal.
REGINA: What's different about the 2002 scandals and today?
STEVE: There are two significant differences. First, we are now starting to hear how much the Church has paid to settle these abuse cases. I am reading it is in the billions of dollars. These are dollars contributed to the local parish and then funneled to the bishops. Good Catholics honor their duty to support local parish expenses and programs. Now when I hear that a settlement has been paid by a diocese, I know that part of the money is extracted from parish funds or direct diocesan appeals.
REGINA: So Catholics are still paying off victims of homosexual abuse by priests.
STEVE: The other difference, and it dwarfs the billions paid out - if that is even possible – is the scandal at the seminary level. It puts into doubt just what is happening during the formation of our priests.
REGINA: Yep. The kind who will ‘play ball’ so to speak.
STEVE: When we have been told by our Lord that we are blessed because we believe without seeing (faith) – the revelations of the Cardinal McCarrick scandal has to have an effect on that faith. That alone makes this far different that 2002. That said, now is not the time to leave the Church. My wife and I remain faithful to the Church and pray for strong moral leadership.
For more in the "That's My Money" series go Here.
Drawing by Jane Privett
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