The Catholic Church hierarchy continues to shoot itself in its collective foot (or should that be feet?) on a regular basis.
Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the Bishop of São José do Rio Preto on Wednesday, five days after a sexually explicit video of the bishop was shared on the internet.
. . .
On Aug. 13, a minute-long video of Bishop Ferreira da Silva on a video call with another man began making the rounds on social media. In the video the bishop, wearing a striped polo shirt, is seen masturbating.
. . .
Bishop Ferreira da Silva reportedly told the Brazilian network Globo that he is the person in the video, and he believed that its release was an act of revenge porn by someone with whom he lives. He told Brazilian media that he would be speaking to his attorney as well as Brazil’s state police force to determine how the video was released.
This is not Bishop Ferreira da Silva’s first brush with controversy, and he has been investigated multiple times by the Vatican for alleged sexual misconduct or for covering up sexual misconduct.
There's more at the link.
If there were previous incidents involving this Bishop, why the heck didn't his fellow Bishops in Brazil insist that he step down or be moved aside while a more thorough investigation was done? Why did it take a revenge porn video (if that's what it was) to have him removed? For that matter, why did the Vatican not act more swiftly or more decisively, given such a history? How many more Brazilian Bishops - and their clergy - are complicit in this sort of behavior?
The hierarchy of the Catholic Church have ducked, and dived, and weaseled their way out of doing something concrete about this sort of behavior for decades (probably for a lot longer than that, if truth be told). In tolerating that, the Catholic Church as a whole has abdicated its moral authority. It can no longer condemn anything as immoral, because it has become immoral in itself - at least, from a human perspective. Theologically, Christ is not and can never be immoral, but the human side of the Church has grown rather too fond of proclaiming that as some sort of excuse for its own collective fallibility.
Faithful Catholics who are trying to live a life of Biblical, traditional morality have my entire sympathy. I know full well the betrayal they feel when they read reports like this, because I was betrayed as well.
May Almighty God have mercy on his wounded, sinful church, and rebuild her according to His will. I suspect another, and more thorough, Temple cleansing may have to be involved. As for those who have betrayed her, and reduced her to this state . . . yes, I'll even pray for forgiveness for them too, because I have enough on my conscience that I'll need forgiveness just as much (albeit for different sins). I'm just not sure how effective my prayers will be in their case, because I see no sign of repentance. When a disgraced cleric blames "revenge porn" instead of acknowledging his own guilt, it speaks volumes.
Peter
13 comments:
One more crack in the 'wall' of the Catholic Church... How many more before it comes tumbling down?
Again, my Church left me. I didn't leave my Church.
Sadly, even in my fallen ways I am more Catholic than the Pope and all the leadership.
There needs to be a thorough accounting and headhunting of all the clergy in the Church, but I don't see that happening, not with the power that the perfumed princes and the lavender mafia wield.
Forgiveness, certainly, coupled with earthly prosecution, and removal from any position of trust or authority forever. When they're doing 20-50 years for things like kiddy diddling, they can count on courtesy visits. Same treatment for anyone complicit or conspiring after the fact: just as guilty, just as culpable.
But since the current "pope" is determined to destroy the Church from within, by design and express intent, it'll never happen.
What's Latin for "apostate" and "beclowned"?
When the laypeople of the Church en masse stop donating any money, then the perfumed bureaucrats will sit up and take notice. Not one moment before then. (Unless the faithful start appropriately using millstones, of course.)
This seems fairly tame compared to the stories coming out of Rome.
The Church has been in trouble for decades, and installing a socialist reformer didn't help. But even Joseph Ratzinger, who was known as God's Rottweiler before being elected Pope Benedict XVI, didn't seem to make much difference. Maybe they kept their heads down more...
There is a reason why Dr Martin Luther decided that the Catholic Church fulfills the Biblical description of the Anti-Christ. Notice though that implies that Gospel is present in the Catholic Church and that true believers are present. It is also a comment that the organization will continue until the end. The similarities between the descriptions of the Vatican now and then are very similar.
One of my two best friends is Catholic and over the years we have shared conversations (and occasional debates) on Catholicism and Protestantism. This sort of thing breaks my heart for him and other devoted Catholics I know.
This is precisely the sort of environment that Martin Luther came out of. Perhaps another one (but for Catholics, not causing a division this time) will arise.
I will put my plug in that the continuing insistence of the clergy being single and celibate is part of the problem. There are a number of Roman Catholic Priests albeit a small percentage who are married; they came from other catholic traditions mainly Anglican and Orthodox. The priest that married my wife and I 25 years ago in an Anglican Church is now Vicar General of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, the umbrella organization of Anglican Churches in the USA that moved to the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome. I see in no way that he being married has done anything but strengthen his ability to be a faithful presbyter. Married priests are not a full answer to the problem but are a mitigating factor to some of the problem.
BTW, I am not Roman Catholic and with the current issues within that Communion am very unlikely to "swim the Tiber".
Filioque Shmilioque... Just go Orthodox -- Armed and Dangerous Serbian War Criminal Variant... not the Archiminimandrite Dreher Ersatz :D
I have left organizations that did not meet my expectations for moral behaviour.
If you are still a Catholic, I am looking at you askance. Why do you associate with pesos and pedo enablers? Are you another bird of a feather?
Get out while you still have your reputation. You can get your wafer and wine down the street with the Episcopalians.
Having sex with children and other priests is NOT celibacy. They could chose to have sex with women, easier than kids, but never that! Only perverse sex.
Nope, it's not about celibacy, it's about perversion.
Need to do confession? Priests can now be located on Grindr. Oh wait ...
https://dnyuz.com/2021/08/20/catholic-officials-on-edge-after-reports-of-priests-using-grindr/
Covering up for sexual abusers has (mostly) worked for the RCC so far; why should they stop? How much longer Pope Spin Control can obfuscate the issue remains to be seen, especially with literal piles of child skeletons surfacing in Canada. Although relaxing posture *is* the first step to collapse for a rigid organization. Maybe there will be justice, one day when the Vatican gets raided by Interpol.
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