By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK
“…But woe to those by whom they come.”
Devastating news from Rome about some clerics who work for the Holy Father has seemed recently to come in a flood. Those held to the very highest standards of holiness in their service to the universal Church have been discovered mired in the worst forms of human depravity.
As reported by speroforum.com from a report in Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano, an alleged drug-fueled same-sex orgy was discovered by Vatican police in a Vatican-owned building not far from St. Peter’s Square. It is usually dedicated to housing bishops who work for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and other offices in the Vatican.
This came simultaneously with calls from Australia for George Cardinal Pell to return to that country and to face personal charges of sexual abuse as well as allegations of covering it up on the part of others. Pell is the highest ranking member of the Church to face such charges.
Surprisingly, Cardinal Muller was not renewed at Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at the young age of 69 after only one term. His successor, Archbishop Ladaria, was no sooner named than he was accused of covering up clerical sexual abuse.
What is going on? Christ spoke of this sorrow which accompanies us always in the world when He taught, “Scandals will come. . . .”
These and other incidents, which unfortunately have happened before and will happen again, remind us of the fact that in the human face of the Church we will meet persons who are very much like any other humans — wherever we find them in any institution on Earth. We are all weak and any of us can give into temptation. These sinners are humans just like each and every one of us; this we must never forget.
The terrible reality of human evil which destroys lives and attacks faith finds its genesis in the rejection of Church teaching which respects, and protects us against, the potential sinful results of some forms of human weakness. The refusal to assent to and teach these truths has been a great error and also a scandal in the life of the Church.
Many leaders implemented Vatican II in a way that rejected the common sense of Church tradition and teaching about the reality of human nature and weakness, the experience of temptation, and the necessity of avoiding the near occasions of sin.
I have written in this space about time wasted making collages in Confirmation training in the 1980s rather than learning doctrine that imparts hard-won truths handed down in the Church.
One could comment in great detail and catalogue all the recent scandals that have rocked Rome, the Vatican, and among those who work for the Pope. One could get buried in the details and spend much time and effort unearthing the facts.
Media of all kinds make money off the news that comes also because of the sins of the Church’s members. In the end, however, human sin ends up looking very much the same no matter who gets caught up in it.
Human weakness, whether sexual or otherwise, addiction to drugs or alcohol, tales of money laundering, fraud or theft, all these remain the same no matter who commits them. Getting involved in publicizing them ad nauseam can also be a human weakness.
The meaning of the word “scandal” takes us back to the purpose of the Church. In Greek the world “scandalon,” from which we get “scandal,” means a “stumbling stone.” The image is of one who makes their way along a path but whose forward movement is frustrated by an obstacle, which trips them and brings the person down, interrupting the forward movement.
This then is the image that Christ used in His teaching about impediments to the faith of others through our own bad or sinful examples. He makes clear His concern about the existence of any obstacle along one’s path through life in Him. The path is the road to salvation offered to all in Christ and leading to eternal life through this world.
This path, according to Christ, is one of faith which must be nurtured by those He has sent to feed and care for the sheep. His Body the Church is the place of faith and accompaniment where this path is found in this world. When those entrusted with the nourishing and care of the flock themselves prove a stumbling stone, the sin is the greater.
So it is true that recent incidents in Rome and elsewhere confirm Christ’s words that “scandal will come.” He acknowledges this reality of evil but then He goes on to say, “woe to those by whom they come” and “it would be better if a millstone were tied around his neck and he be cast into the sea than that he scandalize one of the least of these little ones.”
The “little ones” are any persons who are weak in faith as well as young children.
These words make clear how great an evil it is to place an obstacle in the path of another’s journey to God by our own sinful actions or words. Thus, the first matter of concern for all of us is our own comportment before God and others. The passage about the millstone provides some of the most ominous words in all of Scripture.
There are different kinds of scandal. Some types make it into the international media and some do not. Scandal, however, wherever it is found, is equally condemned by Christ because the effect is the same. All scandal frustrates the salvation of souls which is the highest law and the purpose of the Church.
Seeking after raw political power has no place in the Church. Whether some of the individuals currently proving a distraction from the work of the Church in Rome or elsewhere found their way into the power structure as part of underhanded tactics we may never know. When one seeks to consolidate power by surrounding oneself by others who can be blackmailed, scandals almost inevitably result.
A structure not built upon the strength of virtue is merely a house of cards and is easily brought down by the slightest ill breeze. The perversion of the means and goods of the Church away from her purpose of the salvation of souls is at its least troublesome but at its worst a stumbling block to faith for many.
The reforms sought by those who love the Church have suffered a setback. Scandals can destroy hard-won trust on the part of the faithful and those friendly to the Church’s mission.
Much better than recounting the salacious details of every scandal is the work of understanding how they can be avoided for the good of all while helping to strengthen the weakened faith of those affected.
@MCITLFrAphorism
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