Matthew 18:6
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
Greetings all.
Those who know me well will tell you that when it comes to my faith, I will be at the front of the queue to defend it. But I don't do this blindly, and for me defending the truth trumps anything else really. So, after watching the documentary Deliver Us From Evil, it left me sad, disappointed and downright infuriated. Why? Because as much as I love my catholic faith, I cannot defend the undefendable. Sadly, after watching this documentary, I have to agree with the detractors of the church because of how this particular case was handled, as well as how the Vatican shunned the families of the victims.
This documentary follows the abuse cases of Oliver O'Grady, a former catholic priest from Ireland who was involved in multiple cases of sexual abuse. Unfortunately, instead of holding him accountable, the bishops he answered to, just kept moving him from parish to parish, which enabled him to abuse more victims and become an agent for satan to spread evil further and further. After watching this, I cannot sympathise with Vatican 1 or anyone who endorses Vatican 1. It's because of Vatican 1 policies that this terrible man was protected over and over by men who were in my opinion accomplices to his crimes. At least with Vatican 2, there are stricter policies that protect the victims more than the perpetrators. However, the church as an institution I believe has a long way to go before we can say it has done enough to ensure that perpetrators of abuse within clergy are held accountable for their actions.
The only saving grace for me in watching this documentary was to learn of Father Thomas Doyle, a canonically trained lawyer for the church who spoke up for the victims and tried his best within his power to get justice for them. He gave up his collar to fight against abuse in the church and defend the victims. A true catholic hero for me. Once a priest always a priest, but he was quietly removed from his duties within the church for obvious reasons. I will always be catholic for as long as the church will have me, because I deeply love my catholic faith. It's a fundamental part of who I am, and I maintain that I encountered The Lord most fully within the catholic church. But this reminded me of the famous quote by writer Lord Acton: "Absolute Power, corrupts absolutely." Let us not put our church leaders or spiritual mentors on pedestals that equate them with God. They are to be respected, heard and even trusted, if they prove to be trustworthy. But never to be equated with God.
My friends, one of the saddest parts of this whole documentary for me, is right at the end where the father of the one victim declared that he no longer believes in God. You see, this Irish priest wasn't a good spokesman for The Lord, and I believe wholeheartedly that God sent Father Doyle to these victims not only to help them but also to restore their faith in Him, but the powers that be in the church didn't have the courage to defend what was right and because of the church some of these people turned their back on God.
Jesus said in the scriptures that it would be better for any man who harms a child to have a millstone tied around his neck and cast into the sea (Matthew 18:6). The church sadly in the cases presented in this documentary, completely ignored Jesus's teaching and tried to protect the man instead of his victims. I hope and pray that The Lord raises more brave men and women like Fr. Thomas Doyle to restore the dignity and sanctity of His church, because it's indignant for any good catholic to witness these abuses and know that our leaders are doing little to help victims and stop the evil. May The Lord step in and set things right according to His Will and Purpose.
Be safe and take care of yourselves and each other.
Shalom.
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