Today at the doctor’s, the very young, Catholic doctor from a different diocese than mine, he brought up the clergy sex scandal, (what else!).  I find I’m falling all over myself to apologize for the ineptitude of those who never really dealt with clergy abuse in the first place and created the mess we are in in the Church.   When I was asked the ‘why’ of it all I find myself sighing and stating what I think.  It’s about the money.  The haves’, the Church, do not want to give any of it to the have nots’, the victims.  And it is very disheartening to me that victims are blamed when they would have had a totally different reaction to the trauma of their ordeal if they were dealt with properly and with love in the first place.

Some of the blaming of the victim is very subtle.  When words come out of the diocesan centers of control like; We need to keep funds available for our charitable works.  One of the messages sent is another assault on victims.  The implication is that money that victims had to sue for, (and that they are hopefully using to get help and healing),  is undeserved and taking away from “charity”.  Excuse me…the real meaning of charity dictates that victims be taken care of by a Church that inflicted hurt on them in the first place.  It doesn’t matter how long ago it was and who was in charge at the time the bottom line is that everyone in the Church is a victim of the hierarchy not protecting the sheep of their flock.  Have you heard of the Good Shepherd?  Leave the 99 and go after the one.  Instead the ‘one’ was abandoned and now that action by the members of the hierarchy has come back to bite them, (FILL IN YOUR OWN WORD OR WORDS HERE)!  Because that ‘one’ sheep who was abandoned is back and really mad at his/her past treatment by men who are supposed to be about love and not just love but Christ’s LOVE.