Denver Catholic

22 SEPTEMBER 22-OCTOBER 12, 2018 | DENVER CATHOLIC Perspectives Maintenance vs. mission J ust when the Long Lent of 2002 was coming to a boil in March of that year, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, Prefect of the Vat- ican's Congregation for the Clergy, took things from "boil" to "nuclear meltdown" during a press con- ference presenting John Paul II's Holy Thursday letter to the priests of the world. Peppered with questions about the clergy sexual abuse crisis in the U.S., Castrillon peremptorily dismissed reporters' queries, saying that the pope had other things to worry about, like Middle East peace. Sound familiar? There have certainly been ham- handed (and worse) responses to the current crisis from some American bishops, including prominent fi gures who seem, incredibly, to be taking their cues from the Castrillon play- book. But this is not 2002. And while it isn't often stressed in mainstream media reporting on the crisis, those with eyes to see, ears to hear, and no click-bait to concoct, understand that there is a new resolve among a critical mass of U.S. bishops: a resolve to air out the McCarrick scandal; a resolve to see that bishops are held accountable for failures of pastoral and disciplinary leadership with way- ward clergy; and a resolve to be seen to have "gotten it." Why? Because those bishops are disgusted with what has come to light in the past two months. And because they know that, unless the bishops get it right this time, and are perceived to be getting it right, their credibility is shot for the next generation and the New Evangelization will be severely damaged. An example of this resolve may be found in a letter Archbishop Leonard Blair of Hartford addressed to his arch- diocesan brothers in the episcopate and the priesthood, and to his seminar- ians, which also sets the current crisis in its proper historical context: "The anger and disillusionment of our Catholic people is only matched by my own, and no doubt yours as well. After all the massive e„ ort that has been made since 2002 to rid the Church of this evil and to try to bring healing to victim survivors, how is it possible that we fi nd ourselves con- fronting the same perception of the Church, and of us as priests and bish- ops, as if nothing has changed? "The Pennsylvania grand jury report, as devastating as it is, ostensi- bly covers a seventy year period, and is largely about a past that we have striven mightily to remedy. However, the allegations against [McCarrick] have to do with seeming indi„ erence to repulsive conduct not only before, but also after, the great reforms and commitments that followed 2002. Whether before or after, it must be asked how he could possibly remain in ministry, and once the answer is known, steps must be taken to ensure that it will not happen again with any bishop. "….what is most essential is our spiritual vigilance over ourselves and one another when it comes to any conduct that is a betrayal of the priesthood entrusted to us for the care of Christ's fl ock. To live a 'double' or secret life sexually in serious sin with or against another, is to betray not only the priesthood but the people who have trust that we, on becoming clerics at diaconal ordination, 'believe what we read, teach what we believe, and practice what we teach'…. "My brothers, these words are meant for myself as well as for you. Indeed, they are even more dire a warning for me as a bishop. Like you, I feel shame and spiritual dejection, as well as anger, at what has happened to victims and to all the faithful as a result of sexual abuse and depredation and the failure of some bishops to defi ni- tively remove clerical predators…." In pondering the reform of the episcopate for the future, the dis- tinction between maintenance and mission should be at the center of the discussion. Bishops who imagined their role primarily as one of keep- the-lid-on institutional maintenance — whether in relation to their clergy, their brother-bishops, or both — are one of the primary causes of the McCarrick and Pennsylvania scan- dals. Bishops who think of their role as teaching and sanctifying a commu- nion of missionary disciples are far more likely to build a presbyterate that is not a caste — and far more likely to call out brother-bishops who are failing in their responsibilities. Institutional-maintenance Catholicism is fi nished. Purifi ed, mission-driven Catholicism is the Church with a vital future. An open letter to a disgusted Catholic I wasn't sure what name you are going by these days. "Angry," "Disgusted," "Demoralized," "Fed Up," "Devastated." I fi gured it was one of those. Maybe all of them. I know beca use I am feeling all of these along with you. Our beloved Church is in crisis. Sickening stories are emerging with sickening regular- ity. So many of our shepherds failed to shepherd us. They left us to the wolves — or worse, they were the wolves. You can't believe they would betray us like this. You trusted them. We all did. We thought they were men of God, the God who loves us and hates evil. And yet, so many of them have behaved in ways that are the very opposite of Christ-like. They preyed on the vulnerable. Or they looked the other way while these predators moved from parish to parish, diocese to diocese. You've had enough. You're think- ing maybe it's time to fi nd another fl ock, another pasture. Maybe it's time to leave the Catho- lic Church. I understand why you would feel that way. The corruption goes up very high. The response from many quar- ters remains lukewarm. They still don't seem to get it. But, in spite of all of that, I'm asking you to stay. I'm begging you to stay. Now, if the Church were just another organization, like the Kiwanis or the Rotary Club, maybe I'd be holding the door for you on our mutual way out. There's always another organization — another church, another religion. Maybe another one would be more to my liking, better run, less corruption at the top. But the Catholic Church is not just another organization, founded by mere men. She is the Bride of Christ, founded by him to be his instrument of salvation. She is the conduit of his graces, his sacraments. She is, according to the Catechism, "a society structured with hierarchical organs and the mystical body of Christ; the visible society and the spiritual community; the earthly Church and the Church endowed with heavenly riches. These dimensions together constitute one complex reality which comes together from a human and a divine element" (CCC 771). The Church is not merely a human institution. It is both human and divine. It is Christ's, coming forth from the blood and water that fl owed from his side. His last words to us as he ascended into Heaven were his promise that he would be with us until the end of time. So, if this is his Church, why has he allowed it to get so screwed up? Well, the Church has divine and human elements. Which means that, here on earth, it is run by fallible men. Scandal in the Church is nothing new. It has been with us ever since Judas, one of the original bishops, betrayed our Divine Founder and turned him over to his enemies. He knew what was going to happen. But he left us a Church anyway. He remains with us, just as he has over two millennia of sacredness and scandal. The events of the past few months have convinced me all the The Catholic Di¤ erence George Weigel is a distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. GEORGE WEIGEL Guest Column Bonacci is a syndicated columnist based in Denver and the author of We're On a Mission from God and Real Love. MARY BETH BONACCI

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