A letter, a letter with faulty theology, appeared in the diocese news paper.  The writer took offence to being asked by the bishops of England and Wales.  Because she didn’t do anything wrong in the sexual abuse debauchery she doesn’t think she should atone for any of it.   She is wrong!

Our Catholic faith teaches us that all of us, (baptized and having made First Eucharist), are the Body of Christ.  As the Body of Christ if one member suffers then all suffer.  The sexual crimes that took place by members of the Church’s clergy is heinous.  Their sin, their crime, affects all of us because we are the Body of Christ.  Most victims of that abuse are also baptized Catholics who have made their First Communion so they too are members of the Body of Christ.   As the the Body of Christ all of us are obliged to make atonement for these sins, the laity, along with the clergy, whether we are guilty of committing them ourselves or not.  How could any of us take issue with that?  Atonement helps to bring about healing.  As part of that we need to reach out to the victims,  (and not belittle them), of these terrible sins/crimes because their pain effects all of us.