(Revised = read over this post many times - and made some changes.)
Sorry to have written about such disgusting things in the last several posts about McCarrick. It was one of the most remarkable times for Catholics in our country - so cannot act like it never happened. I must admit that I often felt unclean - having read about and tersely written about these matters.
The record is quite clear. McCarrick rose up to become a cardinal in the Church only through the support of Pope John Paul II. The photograph above was taken when John Paul II visited Newark. You can see John Paul II in the pope mobile. McCarrick was standing right behind him. The pope ignored the procedures that were in place to ensure people like McCarrick were never given high office. Many high church leaders had problems with McCarrick. But Pope John Paul II wanted him to rise. So he did. The pope believed those whose opinion agreed with him. You may be interested to know there was rioting in the streets in Krakow in the past few days as people learned what Pope John Paul II had done or, more precisely, had not done to act on cases of priests and bishops accusing of abusing minors. Profoundly sad. I'm not going to get on my soapbox and rant and rave. Their actions did enough of that. It is so easy to just go on a self-righteous rant about these two and others. But, in the words of Dana Garvey imitating George H.W. Bush on Saturday Night Life, "Ain't gonna do it."
What I write now is to balance things out just a little. I never am impressed with writing that goes "on the one hand, on the other hand" - I call that not taking a stand. Bah. But I want to share something that, even in some small ways, moves the energy away from McCarrick and those who enabled him - namely the approximately 96% of priests in this country who never abused a child - who were darn good priests - and who suffered greatly because of McCarrick and those who enabled him. These were the silent heroes of these terrible years in the Church. They were just in the background . Few, if any, received credit for just doing their jobs. The folks who did these bad things destroyed the Church in spirit and also financially due to the staggering cost of settlements.
The 96% of the priests were the silent heroes. Pray for them.
Since I'm on a quiet roll, I want to mention another group of people who were also silent heroes in this whole priest sexual abuse crisis - the nuns. I read extensively and never came across one word from a religious sister putting down the priests and the Church for the sexual abuse crisis. Instead, the nuns kept the church going. They were the models of truth and charity - while being so aware of what bishops and priests had done. If we have a church still alive today in any way, thank the nuns.
The Vatican during these times launched an investigation against nuns in the United States. It said that the sisters had “certain radical feminist themes incompatible with the Catholic faith.” Pope Benedict went along with the complaints he had received from some bishops in the United States and ordered an extensive investigation of nuns in the United States. Once again, the sisters (being far more effective leaders than many bishops) went along quietly with this unjust investigation. When Pope Francis arrived, the investigation was ended with barely a whimper. The sisters won - Go, Sisters.
God love the sisters. God love the priests who continued doing their job. It will take a long time to recover from this mess. We now leave things to Mother Seton, Mother Cabrini, Blessed Michael McGivney and other good people. We need them. Give us better leaders, O Lord. The leaders we have been given - at least those who did not take seriously enough the problem of sexual abuse by priests- not a fan.
Father Guido Sarducci
Why use this picture? I was sad - and he always makes me smile. There are worse things in the world. Next post will probably feature golden retrievers or kittens.