Matthew 19:17

Posted on | April 1, 2010 | No Comments

“I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” – Gandhi

It’s Holy Week this week and for most Christians around the world, it’s the theological high point of the year. But there’s a cloud hovering over the Easter celebrations this year and it’s all thanks to yet another Catholic Church scandal.

I write a lot about the things I do and don’t believe, but it’s not very often that I actually feel compelled to speak out (by my count, it’s only happened a couple of other times since I started this blog), but this is one of those times when I just have to say something.

The current scandal brewing surrounds the now-Pope, as he may (or may not) have deliberately allowed a priest to stay in the priesthood, after repeated reports of this priest abusing boys at a school for the deaf. The Pope and the Vatican deny any wrongdoing and point to all sorts of bureaucratic nonsense as explanation and justification. In the meantime, they continue to fight against the release of documents pertaining to abuse cases in several countries and refuse to acknowledge that real mistakes were made throughout the past decades.

Putting aside my own theological “issues” with the Catholic Church (and there are many), it’s the sheer arrogance of the top church leaders that leaves me stunned.

The Vatican newspaper recently suggested that the victims of abuse had a “clear and despicable intention” to conspire against the Pope “at any cost.” Then, former Milwaukee Archbishop and current New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan had the gall to suggest the Pope “was suffering some of the same unjust accusations once faced by Jesus.”

Really? You want to go there?

I know what Catholic theology says about the Pope, but at the end of the day, he’s still just a man. He’s just as human as you or me – he’s still capable of making mistakes, of doing the wrong thing, of needing to make amends. And he’s no less responsible for his actions than anyone else just because he happens to wear a special crown.

That an archbishop would compare the Pope’s “trials” – such as being asked to admit to his mistakes – to the trials faced by Jesus simply astounds me. There is no comparison and an archbishop should know that, especially during Holy Week! The Pope is not God, no matter what he may think. And the Pope’s attempts to protect himself (from bad PR or accusations, unjust or otherwise) certainly do not amount to “suffering.”

Suffering is the years and years of silence and ignorance that survivors of abuse have endured, the guilt they were made to feel and the outrage of knowing that the vast majority of priests were never held responsible for their actions. Suffering is living in a world where many people, Catholics included, struggle to provide the most basic necessities like food, water and shelter, for their families, while the Pope lives in a Palace and never wants for anything.

As Christians across the globe prepare to commemorate the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, I can only hope the Pope gains some perspective on this issue. Perhaps he can stop complaining about his own “persecution” long enough to reflect on the real persecution of Easter week and maybe (just maybe) he’ll remember that, Pope or not, no one can escape responsibility forever.

(This was not an April Fool’s Day post; just a somewhat unfortunate timing issue.)

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