"Catholic Bishop of Elphin Christopher Jones has accused the media of being “unfair and unjust” to the Catholic Church through a concentration on the handling by church authorities of the clerical child sex-abuse issue.
“Could I just say with all this emphasis on cover-up, the cover-up has gone on for centuries, not just in the church… It’s going on today in families, in communities, in societies. Why are you singling out the church?” he asked.
A member of the Bishops’ Liaison Committee for Child Protection, he was speaking at a press conference in Maynooth yesterday where the Irish Episcopal Conference was concluding its three-day spring meeting.
He continued: “I object to the way the church is being isolated and the focus on the church. We know we’ve made mistakes. Of course we’ve made mistakes but why this huge isolation of the church and this huge focus on cover-up in the church when it has been going on for centuries?"
Irish Times
The Church is not just a family or a community. It is the Body of Christ! It should be and must be held to a higher standard. The leadership wants it both ways. They want the authority to make pronouncements regarding faith and morals yet they would hide behind sophistry such as, "Well, everyone else was doing it!"
It's this oh so apparent double standard that is causing the people to question the rightful authority of the Church. We've been down this road in America and still haven't reached the end. Ireland needs to turn and look this way. Learn from our mistakes and accept responsibility for the evils done in the name of Jesus.
Repent sinners and beg for forgiveness. As you've told us so many times, that is the way to salvation.
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Good post, Tom!
ReplyDeleteThere are two groups of people whom God has always held to a higher standard:
The shepherds (Ezekiel 34)
The political leaders (Wisdom 6:1-9)