Cardinal Tim Dolan seems a bit miffed, indignant or maybe even outright
pissed that people don’t universally regard as heroic his sloth-like actions
removing sexually abusive priests from ministry while he was Archbishop of
Milwaukee. To his credit, he did at
least see some of them through to completion which puts him head and shoulders
above many of his brother bishops.
However, that is somewhat analogous to being miffed at not winning “Father
of the Year” for finally after years of stalling, ceasing to use a babysitter
who molested your children. Yes, that
does make you better than fathers who knowingly continue to use babysitters with
a history of molesting their children. But
Tim, in charity, I must confide that this is not typically considered award-winning
parenting material.
I think Tim’s attitude is due to the insulated and isolated clerical
culture in which he dwells and the resulting priorities held by that culture. To help span the cultural chasm between lay
and ordained, I thought I’d use Tim’s experience as a teaching opportunity. One of my daughters has been studying for her
Medical Board examinations so I’m a bit steeped in study guides right now. Therefore I put this in study guide form to
aid comprehension and retention.
Here’s how to read the table below: from left to right for each row,
read the column heading and then read the column’s contents. As an example the first row of content in the
table below would read, “People
interpret your actions <waiting months or years for Vatican responses on
sexually abusive priests> as meaning you think <protecting children> <is
not important> but many people think it is <very important>.”
The table demonstrates marked misalignment between what many people see
as your priorities and theirs. Thus,
though you are perhaps dismayed as not being heralded as a hero, many people
believe your actions are but a very tiny baby step towards addressing the
clergy abuse problem. Quite frankly Tim,
many people are miffed, indignant or maybe even outright pissed that you and
your brother bishops operate in a world that establishes, fosters, and validates
your skewed priorities. Such people often have similar emotions
intensified when you have the audacity to lecture them about morality.
Furthermore, people’s ire only increases when you and your brother
bishops repeat in parrot-esque fashion the mind-numbing phrase, “The abusive
priests are just a minority of the clergy” in an attempt to diminish the
severity. Again, borrowing the parent
and babysitter analogy, that is like downplaying the seriousness that one of
your sitters is molesting your children because you also use nine other sitters
who don’t molest your children.
Similarly, it is like justifying doing nothing or doing something at
glacial pace to address the molesting babysitter because the other sitters don’t
molest your kids.
However, the mantra incessantly repeated by your brotherhood that
perhaps most devastates the faithful is the one where you say you ignored this
problem and dragged your feet, “Out of concern for the reputation of the
church.” Tim, God’s people are
the church. The church isn’t some
abstraction of rules, or buildings or merely the clergy subset of God’s people. But, the brotherhood’s priorities tell us all
those things as well as your personal careers rank higher in priority to you
than children, victims, their friends and family, and those who stand in
solidarity with them. This is the
majority of this precious church that you wish to protect.
So, on one hand many hierarchy members think Catholics avoiding Mass
indicates diminished morals while on the other hand, the majority of the church
finds your priorities, attitudes and actions so deviant from the gospels that they
leave. Perhaps this is seen as a victory
for the brotherhood to have critics leave.
But, that would be a tragic proof-point supporting your critics’
assertions.
What can be done to close the chasm in value systems? Hint: It isn’t “Let’s devalue children,
victims and laity even more.”
