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Beginning of the End
Los Angeles’ Cardinal Roger Mahony’s apology to victims of the priest abuse scandal coming a day after the $660 million settlement to 508 victims brings home once again the pervasive reality of the effects of the clergy sex abuse crisis.
The cardinal called the abuse a terrible sin and crime. The stories of people with shattered lives seem endless including the consequences of continuing mental illness, shattered marriages, and broken homes. No one can put a price on these tragedies any more than one could put a price on the trust that people put in their priests that opened the way to the abuse. Priests were readily accepted as family members allowing instant access to all.
The priests, themselves wounded personalities, were not up to the trust of the intimacy. Who knows what went on in their minds and hearts! But because people trusted them, conditions went unnoticed, leading to tragic consequences. The U.S. bishops currently are studying the causes of the abuse crisis and we look forward to their full report.
Now, after the fact, priestly and religious formation programs have been prudently reviewed and tightened. The current situation is more closely monitored. The Church has taken the lead in prevention programs, something that should be emulated in other avenues of society.
Some try to link the demands of priestly celibacy and inadequate preparation for such a lifestyle to the crisis. Such charges are inadequate simplifications. Indeed the problem of sexual abuse of minors can be found in other careers and vocations that do not require celibacy. The problem is systemic in our society.
The fact is that the sex abuse crisis has seriously scarred the image of the priesthood. Cardinal Mahony has expressed the hope that the financial settlements will be the beginning of the end of this terrible chapter in Church history. The hope is real and well-founded. We look forward to the day when it will be nothing more than a terrible memory.
Bet With Your Head
A local pastor in Queens has added to the Prayer of the Faithful an addition to the petition for those addicted to drugs and alcohol. He added the words “and other addictions” in recognition of the hold that gambling has on so many people.
Many of us will take a chance on a scratch-off and even add a prayer that we might win the lottery but the local pastor sees something more insidious in all the gambling. It may be the lottery’s tease, “Hey, you never know,” or “You have to be in it to win it.”
Each night the State Lottery Office conducts its drawing live on television. Big winners are announced in the media, although the names of all the losers are never mentioned. All this “for the benefit of education in New York State.”
But gambling has a far deeper hold on many of us, from the housewife who takes her lottery change in scratch-off tickets to the aficionados at the local OTB parlor.
So, we might ask what is wrong with a little gambling. It’s only a game. The response is nothing is wrong when it is done in moderation. But, how easy is moderation to maintain? And how frequently does the grocery change turn into a daily lottery ticket ritual or the trip to OTB become a pilgrimage.
Like all addictions, gambling does not come alone, but is combined with other evidence of the addictive personality. Our point is, however, that other addictions are not advertised. The lure is not always there. Harmless? Not always. A word of caution is always in order.
For those who are affected by gambling, we refer them to the self-help group, Gamblers Anonymous.
Welcoming More Iraqi Refugees
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, on Page 3 this week, calls for the United States to allow more displaced Iraqi refugees to enter the United States. Given the current concerns for national security, the proposal is sure not to be a very popular one.
In a time of such turmoil in Iraq, how are reliable background checks possible?
But further examination might show some merit to what he is calling for. First of all, we must take responsibility for our actions. It is because of the U.S. invasion of Iraq that thousands of Iraqis find themselves looking for refuge.
From the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants we learn that for the second year Iraq is the source of the most new refugees worldwide.
The United States has admitted 800 of these refugees, while Syria has taken in 449,000, Jordan has admitted 250,000 and Egypt 79,800. How can we not feel uncomfortable reading those numbers?
In his column this week, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, who is also part of the U.S. bishops’ International Catholic Migration Commission, reports on what he saw firsthand of these refugees on a tour of Istanbul, Turkey, Lebabon, Jordan and Syria.
The bishop hopes to become a good advocate for these people who have been displaced by the Iraqi war. We too should do what we can — by praying, becoming informed about the situation, supporting relief efforts such as Catholic Relief Services, and welcoming the stranger.
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