What's with the Catholic Church?

I am not one to preach and write about religion.  After all, I’ll be the first to admit that I consider myself a “non practicing Catholic”.

Personally, I do not believe in traditions dictated by religion.  Translation – I wanted to practice my faith my own way.

But since Catholicism still works for me, I still haven't tried to find a new one.

That’s why I am still somehow concerned about the fate of the Catholic Church.

Catholism existed some 2,000 years ago and up until today is considered the world’s largest religious group. It has withstood the influx of  other modern religions, cynics, hypocrites and scandals.

However, I for one believed that no matter how enduring one is, time would require for some adaptability and changes.

Hence, the call for allowing priests to marry is louder than ever.

But the question remains, would that solve the problems that the priesthood or the church is facing right now?

Would marriage stop them from doing these acts or better yet, are they going to be better priests by marrying?

Is it the solution? Or is the church once again trying to cover up their errors by attributing the issue to a more acceptable cause?

Do not get me wrong, I am not against marriage, of anyone to anyone. 

I am against solving the problem by working around a system that might seem archaic but is definitely not the root cause.

Take for instance, the nuns.  If a scandal broke out about a nun harassing a young boy or a fellow nun, do we solve it by allowing the rest of the congregation to marry?

 

I think the bigger issue here is the intention to cover up and the lack of consequences among the offenders.

I ask these questions because I do not know the answers.

But I want you to think for yourself.

And while we are in the topic of the church and its scandals... 

Do you know that the Wikipedia actually has an article dedicated to “Catholic Sex Abuse Cases”.

According the article:

“In the 1950s, Gerald Fitzgerald, the founder of a religious order that treats Roman Catholic priests who molest children, concluded "(such) offenders were unlikely to change and should not be returned to ministry," and this was discussed with Pope Paul VI (1897 – 1978) and in correspondence with several bishops.”

 

Yet, the tendency of the church to relocate suspected priests in other parishes instead of reporting them to proper authorities only shows that even the Church is likely to do cover up to protect their image. 

This article also stated that in September 2011,  a submission was lodged with the International Criminal Court alleging that the Pope and his other cardinals had committed a crime against humanity by failing to prevent or punish perpetrators of rape and sexual violence in a "systematic and widespread" concealment which included failure to co-operate with relevant law enforcement agencies.

Why the church would go to such great lengths to protect their own is a dilemma only they can answer.

Perhaps a bigger issue focused on honesty, integrity and moral values should be examined before proposing such short term solutions.

 

I hope the new pope would be able to instill the much needed discipline, honesty and integrity among the Catholic Church.

 

I will certainly pray for that.