I have been a Catholic for over 40 years having converted after my marriage. During that time, I was involved deeply in church affairs. I was President of St Anthony's Parish Council near Geelong in Australia for 7 years.
In that time, I worked closely with the priest who used to call me his right hand man. But I knew he was totally in charge. We were lucky that he was an old man and devoted to the work of God.
But we have all come to know that across the world there has been sexual depravity among priests and brothers of the church. The problem was that no one in the parish had the right to question decisions of the priest.
This goes right to the top. We see with the present family synod in Rome with only recommendations that can be made to the Pope. This is both a strength and weakness. It goes all the way down the line to the parish priest.
Priests in charge of church institutions were a law unto themselves. Power corrupts to the extent that institutionalized children were brutalized and raped by depraved priests. They were terrorized by psychopathic nuns. No one spoke up.
That time has to pass. There has been no suggestion that the church should be in the hands of the laity. The Pope will not allow it. Who told him so? It is all about centralizing power and authority in the priests. The Catholic church is its own worst enemy.
We read of paedophile priests being moved on by the bishop to abuse children in other parishes. The filth and depravity was just moved on to other victims.
It is time for the laity to have power. Priests have to be accepted by the Parish Council after nomination by the Bishop. They have to have a resume of jobs and recommendations. No more paedophiles move to prey on new victims in a succession of new parishes.
Monsignor Charamsa has suggested that gay bishops and gay priests form another church. So a schism may be on the way. The only answer for many faithful may be to leave the church.
From the time of the dark ages, the Catholic faithful were uneducated peasants who believed that to criticize a priest was the sure ticket to hell. The educated middle classes of Europe became protestant and read their own Bibles.
That has not significantly changed. The Catholic hierarchy has written their own faith. Mary had bodily ascended to heaven. What rubbish. So now her statue is venerated across the world. We go to purgatory where we wait. Tell the peasants.
If I found a priest had been sexually molesting my son, I would confront him in the middle of mass.
Priest: This is the body of Christ ....
Me (standing) Father why have you been fucking my son?
Priest: that was given up for you.....
Me: Don't ignore me priest. Why have you fucked my son?
The congregation would be horrified. God would be pleased. I am not on my way to hell. We have to start thinking of what is right rather than worry about our reward in the afterlife. God looks after that regardless.
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