Practicing Catholics prayed, celebrated Mass, and occasionally made a point of saying 'thank you' to the priests who have served them. (April 30, 2010)
News outlets reviewed, reprized, and republished just about every tacky, demented, sordid act committed by a wayward priest over the last half-century.
Somebody stabbed a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the eye. (May 29, 2010)
Now, the Year of Priests is coming to an end. From this week's news:
"Catholic clergy express deep gratitude to Holy Father for Year of Priests"Why aren't I ranting about the icky Catholic Church and the nasty Pope and the naughty priests and all that stuff? I've discussed that before. (See "Pedophile Priests, Ephebophilia, and Facing Facts," "Pedophile Priests! - or - My Mind is Made Up, Don't Confuse Me With the Facts" (April 11, 2010))
EWTN News (June 10, 2010)
"As the closing celebrations for the Year for Priests continue in Rome, the Confraternity for Catholic Clergy (CCC) is taking the chance to express their 'deepest thanks and gratitude' to the Holy Father for dedicating this past year to the clergy.
"The group also praised Benedict XVI for enduring 'many trials and obstacles' yet never tiring in 'his intense love for the Church.'
"In a statement on June 10, the CCC wrote that the Pope's 'decision to dedicate these past twelve months to those of us in Holy Orders has been an enormous blessing for clergy and laity alike, both in the local and in the universal church.'
"Speaking on the recent media deluge on clerical sex abuse, the CCC stressed that despite 'the aftermath of public scandals and private disappointments, priests around the world have been affirmed and encouraged by the love and affection the faithful still show for their beloved clergy.'..."
A thousand years ago, the Catholic Church was dealing with the "schism of 1054." We still are, come to think of it. Today the Catholic Church is, among other things, dealing with a few out-of-control priests. A thousand years from now, I'm pretty sure that there will be some other crisis.
That's the way it is: Every Catholic, every nun, every monk, every priest, every bishop, every cardinal and every Pope has been a human being. Some of us (not many) are like Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Some of us (not many) are like the fellows who couldn't keep their zippers up.
This is Going to Sound Corny: But We Love Our Priests
That's the Catholic Church: foundations in eternity, staffed by fallible human beings and upheld by the Holy Spirit. And, yes: by and large, we love our priests.Related post:
- "Year for Priests Kicks Off Today"
(June 19, 2009)
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