When it comes to clerical abuse, “it is not enough to ask for forgiveness,” said Pope Francis.
True enough.
But not even that much is on offer from some of our so-called “pastors”, infected as they are with the scourge of clericalism, which the pope has declared a “heresy” and a “sin”.
On 8 March, International Women’s Day, the pope sent a message to the second Latin American congress on the prevention of abuse, in which he called the evil of abuse a “clear and present danger”. Furthermore he said that any bishop who downplays clerical abuse and the danger it poses “dishonours those who have suffered so much and deceives those they say they serve.”
Strong words.
But are they heeded by those lying "ministers" and "servants" of the church? those "false shepherds"? those subtle and covert abusers?
“Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?” asks Peter, “As many as seven times?” “Not seven times, I tell you,” Jesus answers, “but seventy-seven times!” (Matthew 18:21-22)
But what if he doesn’t ask for forgiveness? What if my brother is a sadistic, Machiavellian, narcissistic psychopath who takes advantage of a saying like that to not only cover up his crimes, but dupes me into participating in my own abuse by forgiving him, time and time again, because that is what (apparently) the Lord says I should do? What then?
The same Lord who said "forgive", also said:
“Be on your guard! If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him." (Luke 17:3)
In other words, be merciful; but don’t be a doormat, a punching bag, a sap.
Sins are often crimes, and crimes sins; but they are not the same thing. When I do wrong, what makes it a crime is that it does harm to others; and what makes it a sin is that it does harm to me. That is why forgiveness heals the sinner, and punishment corrects the criminal; why mercy redeems, and justice restores; why only God can “forgive sin”, and why human beings must answer for their crimes.
The crime of clerical abuse — whether sexual, emotional, spiritual, or what have you — has all too often been “forgiven” by a self-serving clericalist institution, which thereby compounded the crime and made the sin even deadlier; because the sin of clerical abuse and the heresy of clericalism — and it is one and the same — has done profound spiritual harm to the church, and to the hierarchy in particular, just as the crime did unconscionable harm to victims and survivors of abuse.
“Sexual abuse by anyone in the Church, whenever it took place, is a clear and present danger to the well-being of God’s people and it’s mishandling will continue to debase the Gospel of the Lord in the eyes of everyone.” Pope Francis
Asking for forgiveness for the sin of clerical abuse is necessary if the sinner is to find any mercy; but it is not enough because it does nothing to repair the harm done by the crime.
Punishment for the crime of abuse must include repentance of the heresy of clericalism that enables it — this, too, is necessary.
But this, too, is not enough.
Real, lasting, concrete change in the way we are church must follow. An adult, honest, fraternal, synodal church must, and will, rise from the ashes of an infantile, secretive, paternalistic, and clerical one.
Lent is a time of ashes, repentance, passion, death and … RESURRECTION!
Christ is Risen!
(And we don’t have to wait for Easter to believe it or act on it!)
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