What the Roman Catholic Church should be doing

Today 2^nd April, 2010 is 'Good Friday' - the day on which Christians memorialise the incredible sacrifice made by Jesus Christ for his disciples. Instead of minds being totally on that astonishing act of surrender and compassion, the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) will regretfully be top of mind for all the wrong reasons.

Any institution that fails to keep pace to some extent with shifting social norms and mores is headed for obscurity or extinction – if only in the hearts of adherents. The Pope, with respect to his elevated office, has made a mess of the reputation management around the paedophilia revelations from within the church. He has been defensive and indeed implied a 'conspiracy' against the church. All the very things we'd tell a chief executive or spokesperson for a large corporation never to do. The fact that he's the Pope and that it's a church with global reach does not mean it can march to a different drumbeat in the public perception. People are now accustomed to an acknowledgement of culpability, a meaningful apology and notice of immediate and future remedial action.

So what should the Pope be doing? In my opinion, with the interests of the RCC at heart (but not as a member of the faith), some or all of the following:

1. Set up the equivalent of an 'inquisition' but with the correct intention.
2. Root out the people behind the molestation of children and defrock or excommunicate them or at the very least ensure they never get to work with or near children.
3. Root out the senior clergy responsible for covering up the appalling breaches of trust and do the same to them.
4. Introduce at local level a whistle-blowing system for the multiple thousands of good and chaste priests and nuns in the church to be able to report suspicious behavior.
5. Create the equivalent of a Roman Catholic 'Child Line' where children or their parents who are concerned about behaviour by a particular priest, nun, teacher or official can call – even anonymously – in order to have the matter looked into.
6. Introduce as part of Sunday School, lessons and the pre-confirmation process, for children in every RCC parish around the world, a course on recognising inappropriate touch, 'sexual grooming' discussion or abuse and how to report it without guilt or fear.
7. Introduce psychometric or other testing throughout the church to identify clergy at risk of potentially damaging behaviour and route those people into counselling, therapy - or invite them to change their role or career.
8. Set out to educate people on the difference between homosexuality and paedophilia – which are proven to be totally unconnected.
9. Clarify that a homosexual or lesbian priest or nun can serve God and the community as chastely and devotedly as any other. Sexual orientation is a mind issue – not one of the soul.
10. Perhaps the most radical of all – consider following the Franciscan model of several orders. Have an order of priests and nuns for whom final vows are their deepest celebration of devotion and commitment to God. For those who cannot or choose not to live that austere, self-sacrificing life, (whether heterosexual or homosexual) let there be a second order of nuns and priests who are indeed (like the Anglican Church) able to marry or have partners. Better to serve God and the community with the mind fully on God and community duty, rather than on relieving sexual tension, or worse – in the case of paedophiles - abusing children.

Just run across this constructively transparent and appropriate response from the German Archbishop.

http://clivesimpkins.brandyourself.com/

Clive Simpkins

Comments

[Anil Salick]

Great suggestions Clive. But, I fear, any suggestions of improvement to the Catholic Church is like trying to straighten chairs on the deck of the mighty Titanic.

[Colin Wood]

I hope they're reading this Clive.

You know, there's something niggling me about this whole scenario - something's not adding up, or at least the entire issue doesn't seem complete... or properly understood (at least by me) - not sure how to express it.

Maybe it has to do with "the church" if such a concept exists in the global psyche. By contrast, I wonder how we would deal with the same issues if they were revelations about say, the Red Cross. Or maybe it has to to with the internal structural integrity within the RCC at a values / morals / world-views level that we are yet to spot. Or perhaps something else entirely.

Certainly, as other commentators have observed, we'd be remiss if we removed the broader cultural context from the issue and stared only at the sore...
It feels like there is something here for "the rest of us" that we're all looking at ourselves in some painful way...

end of ramble!
C

[Nick]

how about set up an island, Carnal Island, where all perverts can congregate. I think asking dishonest and deceitful people to fess up when they're already up to their armpits in double dealing is asking a lot.

[Clive Simpkins]

You're on the money Colin. The fact that it's a religious organisation should not affect the robustness with which it tackles and excises the problem.

And we are indeed looking at ourselves. Light and dark are obverse and reverse of same coin. Being judgmental or vengeful when others are in trouble doesn't help. We need empathy and constructive suggestions. Your empathy is laudable.

[Clive Simpkins]

Nick, every religious, social or other grouping will include 'fringe' people. Not unique to a church. My spiritual preceptor, Swami Shivapadananda, used to say: 'This ashram (monastery) is not a retirement home for saints. It's a hospital for sinners.'

People take their minds wherever they go. For every paedophile priest or nun there are thousands of good RCC clerics working devotedly to uplift humankind. We must not forget that.

[Barrie]

Let us not forget that this particular institution has survived over 1000 years. That's a long time. They've seen themselves through far larger crisis and survived. No doubt they will navigate their way through this one. Perhaps a little slower than we might want, but it's a big brute of an institution and I imagine there is plenty of wisdom and memory lurking to guide them in today's modern world?

For one, thoughts like Clive's serve as part of the depth of wisdom that is available, and I'm certain will be drawn on.

I'm not a Catholic. But I am very respectful of what they have managed to hold together for so long. And I am aware of the abuses through their history.

Does anyone want to cast the first stone?

It's Friday.... but Sunday is coming!