RNS picked up the headline from Cardinal Dolan’s appearance in Milwaukee.
New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan says one reason some Catholics have left the church is that they’ve been “shocked, saddened and nauseated by the sinful behavior” of some of its members, including clergy.
New York’s archbishop has the measure of many inactive Catholics in the sense of their shock, sadness, and nausea. But he needs to listen a little more carefully to the flock.
He and his brother bishops need to realize that a scandalously high percentage of bishops were part of a conspiracy of cover-up that maintained abuse as it minimized the suffering of victims, the consternation of parents and supporters, and the dismay of loyal Catholics.
Here’s the saddest part: at this point, I think American Catholics would be better off trading every single active bishop, even the good ones, just to get a fresh start. If a possible trade were put in these terms, I suspect that millions of Catholics and thousands of clergy would agree.
Archbishop Dolan, you are almost there! Look a little deeper: you can do it.
Catholic Sensibility 
Right on target. Catholics – and others – of course were nauseated to learn of the rape of children by priests. But Dolan – deliberately, in my opinion – continues to follow the official line that it was a problem with failed priests, not the abetting bishops, that disgusted people. People were nauseated by the callous, immoral, cavalier and criminal behavior of the bishops, who have yet to face up to their irresponsibility. Dolan gets this. He just wants to bury it with self-serving PR statements.
But, let’s make it clear that in Wisconsin the criminal acts of the priests were often reported to the police. The prosecutors chose to do nothing. So it wan’t just the bishops, it was failure in many places of all authorities, church and secular.
“Dolan – deliberately, in my opinion – continues to follow the official line that it was a problem with failed priests, not the abetting bishops, that disgusted people. People were nauseated by the callous, immoral, cavalier and criminal behavior of the bishops, who have yet to face up to their irresponsibility. Dolan gets this. He just wants to bury it with self-serving PR statements.”
Amen. Then he and the other bishops seem shocked that they have no moral credibility, even with American Catholics. (forehead, meet heel of hand.)
Unfortunately, Catholic “culture” can have the downside of deferring to the church and its clerics in way too many cases. Not wanting to give public scandal was a mantra of many of well-placed laity as much as the bishops and other clergy.
I agree completely! I wrote about that here.
http://emmasreligiousthoughts.wordpress.com/2013/05/13/impious-religion-or-irreligious-piety/
“Here’s the saddest part: at this point, I think American Catholics would be better off trading every single active bishop, even the good ones, just to get a fresh start. If a possible trade were put in these terms, I suspect that millions of Catholics and thousands of clergy would agree.”
I have no doubt in my mind that we would be better off. What they need now is people who have no link whatsoever to that sordid past.
I agree with your comment but it would now be a dozen years too late to have maximum effectiveness. The majority of current US bishops were not bishops back in 2001. A mass resignation could have done a lot of good then. It still might do some good now, since IMNSHO the lay faithful and many priests of my acquaintance consider the bishops corrupt as a class, unable to police their own ranks. In the meantime we have to listen to the likes of Cardinal Prozac. I want to vomit!
I threw out my (gift) copy of his “Priests for the Third Millennium” some time ago. There are better uses for the shelf space!