|
|
 |
Brian
wrote:
|
|
Hi, guys —
I was brought up a Catholic and consider religion
beneficial to a community.
- However, how do we reconcile a Church
which is allegedly led by God yet has been
guilty of so many crimes, many of which
have had a religious dimension or have
raised questions about the hierarchy of
the Church?
For example:
- The inquisition was not the dream of one
man and was approved by the pope and some
saints e.g. St. Thomas Aquinas
- The treatment of the fascist regimes where
individual priests, etc. showed great compassion
yet the Church hierarchy had no single,
firm response.
- The pedophilia scandal where the Church
feared a loss of trust, faith, and authority
so the Church's hierarchy covered up the
matter.
Brian
|
| {
How
do we reconcile the Church being 'led by God' with
Her current and previous behavior? }
|
|
Mary
Ann replied:
|
Brian —
I think yo have your historical facts
wrong. You are simply accepting current
fashionable opinion, which is ignorant
of history — except in the
last case, which is an example of
men doing wrong.
Jesus did not guarantee
that the members of his Church or
their shepherds would be free from
sin. As a matter of fact, the Church
exists to help people who sin, and,
Herself, is made up of sinners.
Mary Ann
|
Paul
replied:
|
Dear Brian,
To expound a little on Mary Ann's
post, Christ gave His Church the
gift of infallibility, not impeccability.
That means the Holy Spirit gives
her the gift of freedom from error,
not freedom from sin. The gift of
infallibility makes sense because
without it, we would not know the
truth that leads to salvation; and
Christ came and established His Church
for the sake of salvation.
So like any other organization, the
Church is filled with sinners.
- Can
you imagine if any other organization
existed for two thousand years, how
many countless scandals would be
uncovered?
Just count the scandals
of the past twenty years that were
uncovered in the U.S. Congress and
the White House. With the exception
of the recent terrible Church scandal,
it's actually quite amazing that
we would have to go back several
hundred years to find another one.
The teachings of the Church and grace
from the sacraments are something
we can count on as the Truth and
Life that leads to salvation. This
is due to the Holy Spirit, not the
wisdom of men. Christ leads the Church
despite her sins because it is His
Church. He guides her through history
despite her sins. No matter how many
warts the body has, Jesus is the
Head and the Holy Spirit the Soul.
Peace,
Paul
|
|
|
|
