These sentences fit my definition of righteous rage perfectly.
"We are angry that these spiritual arbiters are unyielding when the 'sins' belong to us, not to them.
We have relatives whose lives were choked because they could not get annulments — and thus remarry in the church — after their spouses betrayed and abandoned them.
We know faithfully married women who are forced to violate the Vatican stricture against birth control if they don't want 13 babies. We are friends with gay Catholics who are expected to sacrifice intimacy to maintain their faith."
That's Maureen Dowd's Op-Ed in today's NYT.
I was born and raised Catholic; I haven't practiced the faith in 30 years; I certainly don't feel the sense of betrayal she evidences in this column. Nonetheless, I recognize the form of institutional behavior which has so angered her; it afflicts corporations (see Arthur Andersen), governments (see Nixon and Clinton Administrations), and now, apparently, religious bodies. It can be distilled into six words: Protect one's own, at all costs.
Posted by Linkmeister at April 28, 2002 04:50 PMI like Maureen Dowd's op-ed entries..
I have to admit that I feel betrayed by all the priest crap going on.
Why did it take several old men to goto see another old man in Rome to admit that pedophilia is wrong?
A bit behind the times, huh?
They should sell some of their art work, land, and treasures to help the poor..
My Bishop wants $250 from me to help care for old prients...yeah, right..here's my check...
This scandal IS horrible, and I sincerely hope that the church works through this to a healthier way of doing things.
However.
The vast majority of priests are good guys, dedicated to helping the poor, the sick, and the disadvantaged. The vast majority wouldn't dream of hurting a kid. So I WILL continue to support the church. I certainly do, however, understand why others may choose not to.
Posted by: Jen at April 29, 2002 03:36 PMJen, I agree, the huge majority of priests are good men, as are the nuns, the laity, etcetera. I wouldn't ask anyone to stop supporting the Church.
I just recognize the rage many like Ms. Dowd feel, that's all, and I see the document emerging from the Conference of Cardinals as not going nearly far enough to satisfy many Catholics. Since I don't practice, I come at it from a little more of an outsider, and I think the Curia is behaving like a political organization with a mess to hide. No organization seems to learn from the history of others. That's all I was trying to add.
Posted by: Linkmeister at April 29, 2002 03:50 PM