Page 1 of 5 I am an Old Boy of a Catholic (La Salle) school and a Buddhist. I take exceptions to the strong high profiling of the sex scandal involving the Catholic clergies. I feel strongly that the media attack on the Church and the Pope is a collective effort of people with hidden agenda and totally unjustified.
The reports seemingly equate the priests with the Church. This is a shameful attempt to undermine the sanctity of the religion. A priest is NOT the Church. The priest, as a human being is fallible while the teachings of his Church is INFALLIBLE! Lets get the perspective right. When I was a young student, I was once told by an old family friend that: If you don’t read the newspapers, you are uninformed. But if you read them, you are misinformed. In youthful naiveness, I branded him an eccentric skeptic for I believed then that newspapers men are highly principled and responsible members of society. Now, wiser and much older in age, I see things in better perspectives. My perception has since changed as most newspapers are being coerced or willingly dance to the tunes of their political masters. I now assimilate no more than 20 percent of what is reported in the main strean media. Please do not misunderstand me. I am not defending the wayward priests. By all means, condemn them and deal with them accordingly for betraying the trust of their parishioners. But, please do not equate them with their Church. History has shown us that holy men from All religions do fall by the wayside now and then. Just as every family tends to have a black sheep; so do the religious orders. Nothing alarming about this. After all, a priest, a monk or an imam is a mere mortal of flesh and blood just like you and me, not infallible, but capable of falling prey to temptations. What irks me most is the hypocrisy of those who are quick to condemn but sanction the sexual abuse of pre-puberty girls (some as young as six years olds) by men in certain segments of society to gratify their selfish desires. Gay marriages and abortions among other things that go against God’s Laws are deemed politically correct under the name of human rights! A rose by any name is still a rose. So is child abuse. A paedophile under any guise is still a paedophile! Shouldn't these people re-examine their perspective and get it better aligned? Reference the current child abuse scandal, an unpublished homily titled: Answering Scandals with Personal Holiness is posted hereunder by permission. It was delivered by Father Roger J. Landry, a Catholic priest of the Diocese of Fall River, Massachusetts. It is a good article as it puts things into right perspective: (see next page)
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