How can you, bishops?

https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/distinctly-catholic/how-can-you-bishops
MGB: I would say that for decades the priests have handled these cases out sight and once the lawyers approved settlements and money was distributed, out of mind as well. That has changed ever since the Boston Globe brought it back to our attention. It was reported earlier anecdotally, but not systematically, before then. Allegations are not new, they were simply disregarded.

The distinction between boys and girls and teens is also important and the sexual orientation of teen victims (or participants) is as important, as is the orientation of the perpetrators (or participants for consensual but illegal relations).  Malformation is an issue, but that would generally be, especially for child rape, more relevant for asexuals than heterosexual or homosexual priests. Until we out the asexuals, both publicly and internally, we have no hope of getting this problem under control.

The problem is not with the bishops, it is the bishops and the lawyers who represented them, offering damage control rather than righteousness toward the victims (and the clergy) with an objective eye. Without asexual moral standards on sex, which must also change, the wrong people are caught for the wrong reasons.

The Church needs to lighten up, not to excuse some incidents, but to understand them. No out homosexual priest will ever be inappropriate with a teen (we will ignore the anti-evolutionary age of consent laws for now). The point is, these are people, not cases. Of course, people who can get a payout suddenly get into victim mode, even if they were the aggressors. Any attorney can tell you that, even if it is not politic to say so.

Life long celibacy is not really the issue. Indeed, voiding it would let us know who was gay, straight or asexual, depending on whether they marry within their lifestyle. While sick individuals will rape their children instead of the altar boys or choir members and is as tragic, if not more, continuing with the misogyny of sacred continence, which is misogynistic to the core, does not help matters, which about covers who gets to say Mass (again, ordain women, gays and marrieds - and combinations of the above).

The bishops will not solve this problem. Indeed, by taking their lawyers advice on the easy way out, they have shown themselves incapable of reform. The protestants and the Jews are correct, where possible, priests should marry (gay or straight and bishops too) and parish councils with lay deacons (no vows of chastity or obedience, except to the people) should control parish and diocesan assets and personnel, inviting priests rather than assigning them and electing bishops, along with the priests. Leave the Vatican out of it unless it consents to putting its financial and (bad) artistic assets at risk.

I was having breakfast with a friend. It is not only priests who are ashamed of the Church. It is all Catholics. We let them do this and did not unite to end Medievalism in Church governance. It is time for us to join SNAP and Voice of the Faithful in demanding basic structural change. Rituals are the easy way out. Anyone who has abused an altar boy or choir member before or after Mass cares little for how this relates to ritual.  Again, I don't care what DiNardo says. He lost his right to talk about this. Investigating and using a senile ex-Cardinal as a scapegoat is not the answer either. We need to go back to ancient practice.  Also, statements by the bishops from 2002 were not worth the paper used to cover them. The problem is not the use of episcopal authority, it is episcopal authority. The third party in this matter must be lay control, not some professional committee or expert. If they are responsible to the bishops, the problem is not solved.

I disagree with what much of Napa says. But I do not disagree with them about this, although I fear that they will not go far enough because libertarians still respect the authority of the strong over the weak. We cannot let that happen here. We need to see what clergy or bishops staff show up the Napa conference and make sure they are marginalized by the Vatican. 

It is true that the bishops have taken over for the apostles in being the witnesses to the resurrection, not the Twelve, but all of those who saw the risen Lord, including the 500 whom Paul mentions who saw him at once. It is also true that the early Church quotes the Lord in saying that those who lead children astray should be thrown into the sea with a millstone around their necks. That would be extreme. Taking away the checkbook would be worse for some of these bishops and it is exactly what needs to happen. No complex studies are required and not public contrition enough. Change must be the order of the day.