By now the whole world knows the head of the Catholic church has decided to step down from his position as pope. After 600 years, this is a monumental move by the head of both the Catholic church and Vatican City. The city is a nation-state and signatory to many international conventions. The Catholic church has come a long way in 2000 years. It went from being a baby housed in a humble stable to a rich country with precious art, paintings, jewels and elaborate furnishings. In spite of the riches they believe they are the spiritual leader of the world, via the reigning pope.
Much of the what the church stands for are the ideals we as people need to strive for if catholic or christian. Plato’s ideals are very similar. These ideals are so difficult to reach, that even the church’s own priests and hierarchy cannot live up to them. However, the ideals make sense if one is a christian or claims to be. Then there is the idea of the infallibility of the pope. This is the hardest concept to accept. I am, however, according to the last pope a cafeteria catholic who picks and chooses what I want to accept as God’s teachings. I believe in free will. Now where do you suppose I got that notion?
I was raised both catholic on my mother’s side and protestant on my step-father’s side of the family. Needless to say I am a very confused Christian! I am critical of the church and have decided I do not want to give money to a church that is paying for the human failings of priests who abused children for probably many hundreds of years. I guess you could say, I have watched too many Ancient Aliens programs and read too much Dan Brown. I wonder if maybe the church is hiding a lot of things in the Vatican Library that would shed light on the questions of the day. The church certainly is well known for the secrets they keep, including those of hiding perpetrators in the halls of the hallowed city and around the world.
I have to temper my comments on the subject of abusing children, because the church saved my life and that of my children. If it were not for the priests that helped me when I needed it, I would never have gone to the universities and gotten my education. I was in a program of study when the church was hiding draft dodgers during the Vietnam War era. Although, I am familiar with the Catholic left, I remained a conservative catholic, until I found the Liberal Priests organization in the 1970’s. I met many good and holy men who would have never hurt anyone much less a child. But hurting children is the scandal the church is dealing with today.
It seems odd to me that from that humble stable came a church that is mixing politics with religion. One cannot ignore the politics of the Catholic hierarchy in Rome and the effects of their politics around the world. My experiences are with the humble men who I met in the parish I once belonged to. Their gentle ways and forgiving attitudes have left a lasting impression on this person. They were intellectuals that were extremely kind, understanding and helpful. My hero was a priest left the parish to become a missionary and work in the barrios of South America in Chimbote, Peru. He was and is my best friend, and always will be. I cannot imagine him breaking his vows or hurting anyone. If there was a person who could model the behavior of the man called Jesus, he is one of them.
However, I cannot condone the abuse of children by the clergy, even if they are the minority. The fact that they forgave and then protected these law breakers, makes me angry. Their conduct embarrasses me and as a result, I cannot walk into a catholic church and feel comfortable. Nor will I give them one penny of my money to pay for the law suits that have occurred. I truly believe one cannot mix politics and religion without tasting a form of power that is corrupting. Therefore, I am glad this pope has stepped down. Unfortunately, the possibility of the corruption of power still remains. Since the church is a very conservative institution, nothing much will change.
As for me, I am beginning to wonder if it isn’t better to search for scientific answers; and I will continue to watch Ancient Aliens on the television. I have never been able to put down the ideas and arguments raised since reading the “Chariots of the Gods” by Erich Von Daniken, circa in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. My scientific mind will not allow me to accept the theory completely and need the proof all scientists need to convince me of the reality of it all. On the other hand, I have the same problem with the Catholic church.
JOYSTECHTOOL 