Damian Thompson (The Telegraph, July 29, 2013)
... my first reaction to the aerial shot of Copacabana beach was to think: this is perhaps the moment when the stereotype of the Catholic Church as a nest of lying hypocrites and child abusers will finally begin to fade....I can hear someone saying: "Wouldn't it be nice if the Church could just go back to being normal again?!" Ummmmmmm. No.
It is one thing for the Church to face hostility because it challenges fashionable and comfortable ways of life; quite another for it to become synonymous with evil. If Pope Francis can create an atmosphere where Catholics are judged by their actions today rather than by the abhorrent crimes of a minority of their clergy, then even the most staunch traditionalist will be in his debt.
Wake up, my friend. There is no "normal." Not for the Church. The Church is a remedial institution whose existence is made necessary only by the historical accident of the Fall. It exists to save sinners. It is governed on earth by sinners. It is protected by divine Providence from error and is thus infallible in her doctrines; but it is not impeccable. Thus, the Church may be, in any given era, more healthy or ailing, because of the fidelity or infidelity of her custodians; but there will never be a "normal" for the Church in human history.
[Hat tip to JM]
3 comments:
...child abusers ..
The sexual crimes were committed by sodomites against adolescent males but the Sodomite Thompson is not about to speak truth to perversion and so he slyly and silently promotes the propaganda of acceptable perversion by identifying the victims as children.
The Catholic Church is not synonymous with evil but sodomy is and when sodomites begin praising the Pope (Elton John is going Lady Ga-Ga over him also) soi disant traditionalists understand they will never be in his debt; in his crosshairs, yes.
As for the abomination of WYD, it is a scandal that the Pope wasted so much money going there and it is even a worse scandal that he was in that country and did not condemn the recently approved abortion laws.
What is "normal?" From a historical perspective, the "normal" state of affairs for the Church is probably one most people won't like. It involves crosses, guillitones, and soldiers hunting down Christians. It involves legislatures passing laws against our existence or the free practice of our religion.
The only way in which the Church is in "normal" times is that she offers, even in spite of the best attempts of her mediocre members and leaders, the Faith, the Mass, and the Sacraments, which do the job of helping us rise above the mediocrity of the world.
If you want to read about the fatal flaw in this scenario and the trap involved in following Pentecostal and Charismatic enthusiasts, page 162 of The Soul of the Apostolate by Dom Chautard (Tan Books) has the answer in the section about the 2 nuns teaching a catechism class for youth.
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