One of my Parishioners forwarded to me a letter of his daughter (14 years old) who express her confusion about her faith. In the letter, this young girl expresses her faith in Jesus but opposes the Church’s teaching, especially on moral issues. In short, she said, “Jesus Yes, Church No.” She considers herself as a follower of Jesus without being in the Church. The father of this girl, who belongs to a Family Movement in our parish does not believe that his daughter arrived at this point of disorientation.
Reading the letter of this young girl, some questions arise in my mind. What’s wrong with the Church? What have I done as a priest? What should the Church do? What should I do in response to this crisis?
While I ponder these questions, the news about sex scandals in France has spread around the world. According to the report “over the past 70 years, the Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church found that at least 216,000 children were subjected to abuse at the hands of Catholic priests and members of religious orders.”[1] In fact, Pope Francis expresses this painful situation by acknowledging it as “a moment of shame” for the Catholic Church.[2]
The sex scandals happened not only in Europe or in North America but also happened in many countries. It happened as well in the Philippines. For instance, a few years ago, one of the priests (Monsignor) in the Diocese of Antipolo, was arrested in Marikina City for allegedly "booking" a 13-year-old girl through a pimp.[3]
This sex scandal has been a painful experience for the Catholic Church. This crisis can’t be justified by defending that the same scandals happened also in other religions or institutions. We cannot also defend the Church by saying that there are still many good priests who give a good testimony in the Church though it’s true. Rather, this crisis calls us to purify ourselves, discerning together, walking together so that the Church and her mission can be a credible witness in and for the world.
This crisis of sex scandal can be a stumbling block for the mission of the Church. This crime even becomes more serious in this time of globalization where everybody uses social media. Whatever happens in the Church will be known including this painful scandal that happened years and years ago. Thus, it’s a time for the Church to look inward, to renew from within so that her mission will be appreciated by the youth without hesitation.
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