First I must get this off my chest. The champion of mercy and love, Pope Francis, actually slapped a woman.  Mercy? Love? Not really.  A lot of excuses have been made for the pope’s behavior but the bottom line is that anyone who acts in such a way does not have real mercy or love it their heart.  He has exposed himself to the world as the fraud that he is.

There have been many people that I’ve come across in the daily living out of my priesthood who I wanted to slap but I did not.  I do not believe for one moment that I posses real mercy or love it my heart, although I want too, and pray too, but I do have some semblance of self-control. (At least I have had it thus far in my priesthood.)

Where does this all lead, besides the pope’s revealing himself as a fraud and a liar? (He is a bishop so what should we expect?  To my chagrin I’ve become so cynical.) It leads to all of his pretty words about zero tolerance for clergy who sexually abuse and all of his love and concern for the victims of these priests, (Remember bishops & cardinals are priests.), are smoke dissipating in space and time.

As a priest myself I find that devastating.  As a victim I find that infuriating.  Thank God, literally, for individuals in the press who have made a huge stink about the godless acts of the Bransfields, McCarricks, and Wurels in our midst. Thank God, literally, for the attorneys general who are investigating these issues and investigating all involved in the cover-up since the Church isn’t investigating it or is not able to investigating itself.  The sad actuality is that many diocese are fighting against any and all investigations.

This whole issue has morphed into an enormous black hole that has sucked in the people who sit in the pews. The faithful are now also victims of the lying liars, the sexually active priests, the drug takers and the thieves.  Some of them do not even try to hide themselves behind a thin veneer of holiness or even religiosity any longer.  Lucky for us that we have a light that cannot be extinguished or sucked in by any black hole. That light is Christ.  As difficult as it sometimes is, Christ is who we need to cling to…not man or men in robes…Christ.

Reports from the media point to a measurable drop in donations to the Church.  That should get the attention of men in high places.  The love of money seems to be true love of Church authorities and not the love of God. One begins to question if they even believe in God.  That thought should not have ever entered any of our minds but it has because we see how they act and react. How can you be a believer and be a sexually active priests, a drug takers and a thief? Pray, pray, pray, for that is all we have, (except for money of course), and that is all we need.  God help us.  God help all involved.