The case of Marsaxlokk parish priest Fr Luke Seguna, accused of using for his own needs money entrusted to him with specific intentions, had an interesting sequel. The parishioners did not express anger at him; rather they emphasised how dedicated to the parish he was. Those who had not benefitted from his service seem to have been more critical.
A few conclusions may be drawn from this phenomenon. The first is that those who witness the priest as caring and working for them are more tolerant and less scandalised. Church authorities tended to believe that clerical misconduct always damages the faith of the faithful because it makes the Church look less credible. This fear was not totally unfounded, as can be seen from the number of people leaving the Church as a result of the paedophilia revelations.
“Scandal” comes from the Greek skandalon, or stumbling-block. An obstacle in the road that you do not see would make you trip over it; if you are looking you would see the obstacle and walk around it. Even good and holy people can be scandalised. This happens because they fail to understand two things, namely, that the Church is not the hierarchy, and that priestly ordination does not make one a saint; it only makes one a priest.
That the Church is not synonymous with the hierarchy is very clearly stated by the Vatican Council, which gives priority to baptism over the status one has within the community. Baptism creates the community; within the community, some are clergy and some are laity. All are the Church and all are sinners, but sinners who have been redeemed by Christ. This is why, saying the Hail Mary, all – clergy and laity alike – ask Our Lady to “pray for us sinners”.
The Council clarifies further: “While Christ, holy, innocent and undefiled knew nothing of sin, ...the Church, embracing in its bosom sinners, at the same time holy and always in need of being purified, always follows the way of penance and renewal.” (LG, 8). No distinction between hierarchy and laity is made.
Unfortunately, these two misconceptions, namely, the identification of the Church with the hierarchy and that the clergy should be holier than the laity, are still in the minds of many. This explains why the revelations of the sinfulness of the hierarchy are causing so many to stumble.
Possibly aware of these misconceptions, the Church authorities did not always respond adequately to paedophile priests and those who committed other misdeeds. I think it would have been better to have educated the people even though this would not have been an easy task.
Because of their response in the case of paedophilia, inadvertently, they exposed more children to abuse. Besides, now that this reality has been exposed, the Church has lost more credibility.
Sin, whether of clergy or of laity, makes the Church less holy. Like in sport, if I play badly, the whole team loses the game
Sin, whether of clergy or of laity, makes the Church less holy. Like in sport, if I play badly, the whole team loses the game. Human frailty must be kept in mind at all times. The response of those of good will should be like that of Jesus: “Mercy is what pleases me, not sacrifice. And indeed I came to call not the upright, but sinners.” (Mt 9,13)