Carlie Pracht
Lantern Staff
The Catholic Church has been under fire for many years. The media is constantly picking apart what they disagree with about the Catholic Church, but often the things they scrutinize are products of corrupt individuals within the church, not the church itself or its teachings.
A common place of scrutinization is the priests, as many people believe the priests sexually assault parishioners. While this is true of some priests, and it is a despicable, heinous crime that should not be taken lightly, it is not fair to assume the worst of people just because of their vocation.
Recently, the Wichita Diocese has released the names of 15 priests that are accused of child sex abuse. This is a disgusting, horrible crime, and it has created a rift in the church.
Church members have lost their trust in the priests that lead their church, and while it is every individuals right to be skeptical, especially in times like these, we cannot lose our faith because of the corrupt acts of individuals misusing their position in the church.
As a Catholic, I am faced with difficult conversations everyday with my peers, and the topic of priests and sexual abuse has come up frequently. It is natural to question people when you see the negative effects of misguided trust, but it is important to understand that these crimes are the works of individuals that are directly violating the teachings of the church and are not works of the church itself.
Priests take a vow of celibacy and chastity, and the act of sexual abuse is a direct violation of this. The church also teaches that sexual abuse and violence are sins against the dignity of the human person, so saying that these crimes are the fault of the church is completely inaccurate.
The Catholic Church teaches love, not hate or violence, and we must remember this in the face of these heinous crimes that may cause us to doubt the church. The church even has various facets available for victims of sexual abuse who are in need of love and support, regardless of their beliefs or religion.
Whether or not you are Catholic, it is important to understand this, and I plead you will think of this before you scrutinize the church as a whole. There are many priests who take their religious vows very seriously and are pained by the thought of the members of the church losing their faith and trust because of these despicable crimes. One of the priests at my parish broke down during his homily [a reflection or interpretation on the scripture that relates to the parishioners] because he felt deep sorrow for the victims of these crimes, as well as their families, and for the many people who feel betrayed by the church they have devoted their lives to.
We do not go around calling people rapists or sexual abusers just because of their job or various groups they belong to, so why do we do this to priests? It is not fair to these individuals who have devoted their lives to helping others through their vocation, nor is it fair to the members of the Catholic Church who are not corrupt or hateful.
I feel deep sorrow for those affected by sexual abuse, that is a pain that is unimaginable, but I hope that those affected do not lose their faith, but instead find hope and recovery through it.
