Remember the old saying, 'See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil'? There are some who would venture to say that in an effort to uphold this truism, some have preferred a conspiracy of silence when it comes to some truths.
Agreed, there is a time for speaking the truth, for bringing it to light, and there is a time for keeping some truths in the shadows. Evidence the work published in August 2007 by Geoffrey Robinson, Auxiliary Bishop emeritus of Sydney (Australia). Coauthored with Rev. Donald Cozzens, the work entitled Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church has caused no end of shock waves to reverberate in the world of scholars and of course the Roman Catholic Church in the United States of America.
Until recently, Fr. Cozzens has been widely respected for his work in the area of priestly spirituality. His numerous publications speak frankly of the challenges facing priests today and of the love, compassion and creativity needed in some cases to continue as signs of God's love for the world today. However, the publicity that has surrounded this newest work has curiously won him a certain amount of disfavor from those who have previously regarded him so highly.
Bishop Robinson was very highly regarded among his Aussie brothers for his work within the Church down under, especially with regard to taking a proactive role in devising processes within the Church for the prevention of sexual abuse. His work on Confronting Power is a courageous step toward helping the wounded individuals in the Church to begin the healing process which is so badly needed.
Unfortunately, the publication of Confronting Power has not done either of its authors any favors. It has however attracted a certain amount of attention since the truths it speaks of are among those which until now many who are in the know would much rather classify in the category of the fabled monkeys and their proverbial wisdom.
Will this work and others like it be swept under the rug with the hope that they will fade gracefully into that still dark night or will they prove to be catalysts for discussion and healing? Only time will tell.
1 comment:
Is it not a pillar of our Catholic faith to speak from our truth? In Exodus, Moses presented the Ten Commandments in which we learned that we shall not 'bear false witness'. Concealing truth is a form of bearing false witness. What does this say of our Church leadership who seek to hide these truths?
Our Church leaders can lead by example by speaking truth, asking for forgiveness and show the true miracle of reconciliation.
Post a Comment