Whatever steps the laity take to elevate the discussion around stopping clerical abuse are undoubtedly beneficial. The formal disassociation of Belgian Catholics from the Church highlights a growing frustration with the lack of accountability. At the same time, millions of Catholics in the United States and elsewhere are expressing their…
Whatever steps the laity take to elevate the discussion around stopping clerical abuse are undoubtedly beneficial. The formal disassociation of Belgian Catholics from the Church highlights a growing frustration with the lack of accountability. At the same time, millions of Catholics in the United States and elsewhere are expressing their discontent in less formal but equally impactful ways—by simply walking away from the Church. The hope is that such actions, whether loud or quiet, will compel Church leaders to take a zero-tolerance approach to abuse more seriously, acknowledging that continued inaction risks the erosion of trust and participation in the faith.
"[C]ontinued inaction risks the erosion of trust and participation in the faith." Tragically, that risk has fully materialized -- in the U.S, with the elevation of 5 McCarrick cronies to the cardinalate, and internationally, with the shameless coddling of Rupnick et al. And don't underestimate the impact of the ongoing financial corruption at the Vatican -- from shady real estate deals to the mismanagement and milking of Peter's Pence. What faithful steward of the gifts God has given him would freely subsidize such grift, graft, and greed?
Whatever steps the laity take to elevate the discussion around stopping clerical abuse are undoubtedly beneficial. The formal disassociation of Belgian Catholics from the Church highlights a growing frustration with the lack of accountability. At the same time, millions of Catholics in the United States and elsewhere are expressing their discontent in less formal but equally impactful ways—by simply walking away from the Church. The hope is that such actions, whether loud or quiet, will compel Church leaders to take a zero-tolerance approach to abuse more seriously, acknowledging that continued inaction risks the erosion of trust and participation in the faith.
"[C]ontinued inaction risks the erosion of trust and participation in the faith." Tragically, that risk has fully materialized -- in the U.S, with the elevation of 5 McCarrick cronies to the cardinalate, and internationally, with the shameless coddling of Rupnick et al. And don't underestimate the impact of the ongoing financial corruption at the Vatican -- from shady real estate deals to the mismanagement and milking of Peter's Pence. What faithful steward of the gifts God has given him would freely subsidize such grift, graft, and greed?