Priests and Not Doing the Job

[This is not meant as apologist and should not be taken as such. I acknowledge that there is a problem, but n order to solve the problem, or at least find a better solution, it helps to know exactly what the problem is.]

The problem with pedophilia and the Catholic is a complicated one. The first part of the problem is that the problem itself is not one that can be easily solved. Priests are still human, and as such are subject to the same failings as the rest of us. However, because of the position of authority and trust that priests are put in, the effects of those failings are amplified. The good news is that priests are less likely to molest children tan the general population (4% versus 5%), but it is still going to happen. We can only hope to diminish the possibility of it happening.

The second part is that the Catholic Church is changing its perspective. Originally, there was the problem that when a pedophile priest was caught there was little the prosecutor could do. Prior to the 1980s, people simply didn’t sue as much as they do now. When it came to molestation, parents were loathe to press charges because it meant that the child would need to face his attacker, and parents were worried about compounding the trauma. In that case, the best that could be done would be to move the priest to a post where he wouldn’t deal with the public, preferably a monastery; the priest was removed from circulation and promotion. Occasionally someone would screw up and the priest was put back in circulation, usually because of some naïve belief that the person had changed or simply due to clerical error. However, for the times of which we speak, that punishment was seen as enough; because of the lack of a witness prosecution was simply not possible, and the monastery was seen as an effective punishment that also removed the priest.

In the 1980s things changed, and parents realized that facing his attacker was the most effective therapy; by facing the attacker the child could begin to heal and his attacker could face prosecution. Parents were more willing to take the priests to court. Also, they were more willing to then take the local church to civil court and press for damages. The Church, being a monolithic organization, was slow to change; the problem was originally seen as a local problem. It needs to be noted that the Catholic Church is set up more like a franchised business rather than a single structure; a single church succeeds or fails on its merits without affecting the church as a whole. As such, problems affecting a single church or a chain of churches is seen as a local problem, and not one for The Church as a whole. The molestation issue was seen as a local issue rather than as a problem affecting The Church as a whole.

Suffice to say that has finally been changing as the Catholic Church finally began realizing that this was no longer a local problem, and was seen as an international issue. Pope Benedict XVI has been telling individual churches to work with police in nailing priests, and that those hiding the priests will be punished. Although there has been resistance in the new policy, most notably in California, this is to be expected; the new policy will take some time to implement.

However, there are those who need to problem to be seen as one of overall church corruption rather than as individual crimes. They need to justify their hatred of The Church; they are on their own crusade. They want to see what they see as a blight on the face of humanity removed, either because they have been wronged or because they see a problem. However, seeking reform of the system, they seek the total destruction of the system. It makes sense as people always seek to punish those that have wronged them. However, rather than allowing The Church to catch up with the times, they would prefer to see it disappear completely. As such, they want to see The Church fail, and thus report every crime as part of a greater conspiracy, even when it isn’t.

The question is ultimately whether or not an organization should be liable for the actions of those in it, and to what degree. It’s easy to argue that an organization should be responsible for the actions of those in it, but it’s a problematic issue; at some point individuals need to take responsibility for their actions, and at the same time it needs to be noted that organizations only have limited control over their members. If an organization is willing to work with authorities to see that justice is done, that needs to be allowed for. It’s an interesting issue that needs to be dealt with, and the sooner the better. Let’s hope the new pope is ready for the work ahead.