Sunday, January 06, 2013

Cardinal Law, The Church, and Why I'm Angry

I'm from Boston, and I'm Catholic. Well, I think I am - that may change. For now, I'm continuing despite my shame, anger and disgust with what so many poor children have endured as the most vulnerable victims anyone can imagine. For Catholics who still question the reality of this, I suggest going to  Bishop Accountability and read up on everything, including Cardinal Law - http://www.bishop-accountability.org

I think it's EXTREMELY important to know the truth, especially if one is Catholic. What he did (in shifting abusive priests from one parish to another, FULLLY knowing they were raping children who were entrusted under the Church's care by believing and trusting parents) is beyond my imagination, and frankly, my forgiveness. I was an active, praying Catholic who adored him before all this - and I feel betrayed. Still.

I give nothing in money to my local church. Frankly, I still can't trust, but I do have more trust towards the Franciscans at St. Anthony's Shrine. They do so much good work & are inviting to all; I would choose them for my 'widow's mite'. Once I get to the Paulist Center, I may trust them enough to give a little in the offering -  I really don't know (St. Anthony's & I have a long history - I'd be devastated if any of their priests or brothers showed up in court records - but I still would want to know). Even if I trusted both centers totally, I still would be careful about donating anything, because of what I know.

But back to Cardinal Law - like I said, I'm still angry, all the more to know that he gets paid $10,000 a month & even has the luxury of maids at his Vatican address. And, what's worse (it gets worse???) is that he has an influence at the Vatican - as you can see by this article:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/05/05/cardinal_law_reportedly_pushed_vatican_to_investigate_catholic_nuns_in_the_united_states/

It's ridiculous. He never faced up to court like he should have. He never reported these priests to the police, ignored parents and continued to send priests all over to continue their abuses - and as a result, the Vatican rewards him in this life (he'll have nowhere to hide in the next life, although it's probably a good thing I'm not God, as he'd already be a pile of ashes).

Ask the victims in those parishes, some in other parts of the country, how they feel about Cardinal Law's 'good works'!

I can't get it out of my mind that while he was "doing so much good," many of his priests were playing tiddly with the children of parishioners who gave complete trust to those priests, our Cardinal and our Pope. And what's worse, HE KNEW and was more concerned with keeping it all quiet and just shifting them around to other parishes, where they could play more tiddly with more babes. Am I being crude? Well, not as crude as how the poor innocence of those children were shattered. I am not even a victim (nor are any of my children, thank the good God above), but I can never give that sort of trust again. Thankfully, my children are wise enough to exercise extreme caution with their own kids. Sadly, none of my kids go to church; some tell me they're atheist or agnostic - the source of that is a combination of how my ex-husband mixed his own abuse with his extreme Catholicsm, with added help by the reported abusive acts of the Church. Even sadder, I cannot give them any words to try to change their minds. How could I?  I pray, and leave their good hearts (and they have VERY good hearts) within the sacred hearts of both Jesus and Mary.

I wonder how many people (mostly boys, but some girls, too) cannot enter a church because of the living nightmares, the sexual abuse that they endured (some have - so, so sad - committed suicide). Add to that, all of their relatives and friends... and people like me, who used to give all my faith to the Church - now feel it shattered in my knowledge of what has gone on, and to some extent very recent, in some places. How many people in the world have turned away because of this, I wonder, when we consider this butterfly effect...

It's all about power for these men. Keep everything quiet, no matter what. Make sure complete obedience continues... keeping that power and control. Play the victim (again, blaming the REAL victims, even children!!!), continue to exert that power - and let's see, lets shift the focus to something/someone else - like "the gays"!! Yep, everything is their fault, the world will come to a halt if two people who have a different sexual orientation actually want to solidify their relationship in marriage (maybe even with a blessing!), and adopt children, and raise them in their love (we all know how perfectly sacred marriage with heterosexuals is treated today) - and let's put some blame on "women", too - the ones who, heaven forbid, are trying to chip away at that ivory tower and actually perform the sacred duty of being a priest - thereby taking away some of this power and control.

Cardinal Law was was first Archbishop, then elevated to Cardinal, in Boston from 1984 to 2002, when he resigned in shame after the Boston Globe exposed his part in these shameful abuses. One of the victims of abuse by Fr. parishioner in Salem, MA, and made a movie about when he was sexually abused as a child in that parish (very brave on his part, IMO) about his abuse & the history behind the priest. In the legal documents that Bishop Accountability has published, it shows his disregard for these victims - he knew and did nothing - nothing decent, that is.





One link (of many) about Law's role in this horrid nightmare:

http://www.salemnews.com/local/x1450994550/A-decade-ago-priest-abuse-story-rocked-Salem/print

About the film:

http://www.bishop-accountability.org/news2007/01_02/2007_01_13_Mulford_SilentNo.htm