Never enough

Never enough

We have yet another article criticizing Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley for his 10-day novena to the Holy Spirit in reparation for the Scandal that ended on Pentecost. More victims have been rounded up to say that this just isn’t enough. I’m afraid people don’t get it. In a utilitarian world of effective materialism prayer is a complete waste of time. Falling on one’s face and beseeching God’s forgiveness and grace is a pointless gesture to one who has no faith. And those who accuse O’Malley of using this to avoid taking “real” steps at reform are accusing him of having no faith either. This not an either-or situation: We can do both.

Let me be clear that I sympathize with the lost faith of the abuse victims. A priest who abuses a child doesn’t just damage a body and emotions and mental health, he also murders a faith. Unfortunately, it seems that too many victims “advocates”, who often have their own axes to grind against the Church, do them no favor by keeping them ever more mired in a swamp of despair and lost faith.

And what many of these advocates really want is for the Church to support their pet cause, specifically changes to the law. Some victims, having received huge payments in legal settlements, are finding that the feel no better having won their cases. There must be something else that will make them feel better and so their lawyers and other interested parties tell them they should push for new laws to make even more cases subject to civil penalties, which not coincidentally will further enrich the lawyers.

I wholeheartedly support one of their demands

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