Last Thursday my wife and I attended a briefing on The Situation for members of the Lumen Cordium Society - basically people who have contributed a certain amount of money to the Annual Campaign (not all that much, and you do get to attend a Mass said by the Cardinal later on in thes summer). So, not much of a society, I'll grant you, and probably not as much lumen in our cordium as we would like, but there you have it.
Here are some notes:
About 250 - 300 people, most over 60, in the Joseph Cardinal Bernadin Parish Center Auditorium adjacent to Holy Name Cathedral (about 8 blocks north of the heart of the Loop). Started at about 5:45 and lasted until 7:45.
Four panelists: Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I.; Jimmy Lago, Chancellor/Archdiocese of Chicago; Rev. Louis J. Cameli, Director - Ongoing Formations for Priests; and Rev. Edward Fialkowski, Chairman of the Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council
First half hour: brief statements by each leading up to the Cardinal, who made just a few remarks and then opened it up to questions. People lined up in the aisle to speak at a microphone and there was a camera videotaping the event. The Cardinal (no Rembert Weakland he) ended up answering most of the questions.
General mood was respectful toward the Cardinal, less so toward others such as Law, with a few criticisms of the Pope mixed in. A lot of frustration, a lot of people feeling betrayed and shocked, but, I'd say, an overall sense that the Church will come through this scandal and that they will stay with Her.
Lots of talk about "Zero Tolerance." Cdl. spoke about the differences between ZT from here on out vs. ZT for the 70 year old priest who committed an abusive act 30 years ago. Also, in reference to taking a man out of ministry vs. defrocking him, made the analogy of a man losing his job versus a man being told that he must divorce his wife.
A sense that Chicago's policy is one of the best in the nation since instituted in '92, but may not be good enough given the scope of the current scandal and the national outcry. Archdiocese is conducting a review with public authorities to evaluate its handling of all cases since '92 and preliminary results, released a few days before this meeting, were promising.
Frustration in the crowd that the Pope doesn't do something dramatic. He's the CEO, why not fire these guys? One fellow criticized the Pope directly. Another seconded the comment from a far corner. Some applause. The guy behind me (roughly 75 - 80 years old) rallied to the Pope's cause and shouted out that the Pope is a good man, don't blame the Pope. Some slightly more applause.
Several remarks about Cdl. Law. General consensus: he should be history. Why doesn't Cdl. George do something? Cdl. asks, rhetorically, what would happen if the headlines in tomorrow's paper read "George tells Law to Resign?" Is that what the Church needs?
The Cdl. tried to explain to the group about the way the Church works. Pointed out that each bishop is answerable only to the Pope. Key issue in meeting with Vatican was to see if a national policy to handle sexual abuse can, in fact, be formally established, whether the Pope would back it up.
Cdl. George surprised by the sudden cause celebre of Zero Tolerance and the expectation on the part of the public that a policy would be declared immediately upon the conclusion of the meeting in Rome. Nonetheless believes that a national policy will be set at June meeting in Dallas and that it will include some form of ZT.
Homosexuality comes up about halfway into the Q&A session. Man asks why homosexuals are ordained since homosexuality is an intrinsic disorder and suggests, therefore, that homosexual activity is foregone conclusion. Cdl. replies that if a homosexual takes the vow of chastity, then he can and should be ordained. Reminds questioner that as far as the Church is concerned, she is asking all homosexuals to remain chaste whether they are ordained or not. So it should be expected even more of a homosexual priest, who has devoted himself fully to the Church. Thus, homosexual activity is not necessarily an impulse that cannot be overcome. Says that when he speaks with homosexuals in the confessional about this he tells them that they can remain chaste because Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
Member of audience asks about the context out of which this evil has come; quotes Michael Novak about "culture of dissent" permeating through the universities, seminaries, and parishes and requests reaction from the panel - mentions book "Goodbye! Good Men" and particularly its sections about Mundelein Seminary (our local seminary). Cdl. George says that problem of dissent is a serious one and agrees that some in the Church are considering its teachings negotiable or just plain wrong. As an example, says that if someone does not feel that homosexual acts are sins, or does not believe that celibacy should be demanded of priests, then there is bound to be scandal. Each member of panel takes issue with Rose's book: basic critique - old information from the '70s and early '80s made to sound current and more extensive than is really the case today. Cdl. admits that there was a lot of strange stuff going on in the '70s but assures questioner that the current faculty at Mundelein is "100% orthodox." In retrospect, it is hard to tell if they were defending only the Archdiocese or the national scene as well.
The Cardinal muses:
- Bishops are trained to protect priests, not children. Is this part of the problem?
- What will be the long term effects of this scandal? How will this affect the public role of the Church in a society that already considers religious belief a private matter. Although we are assured that the Church will survive in some form until Jesus returns in glory, will it be the large institution that we know today, or will it shrink to smaller groups of believers scattered around the world.
- It's difficult dealing with dissent. As soon as some sort of censure is placed upon an individual, his stock in the secular culture shoots up. Why give the guy a bigger audience? Bishops are sometimes cowardly, not willing to force a public confrontation. Take too long to "get all their ducks in a row" before speaking out.
Final impression:
Cdl. George is a good man, a holy man, and an intellectual. He thinks of the Church in terms of centuries. He sees this scandal in its complexity and wants a solution that addresses it comprehensively. He is skeptical of the quick fix that brings cheers from the public but fails to truly confront this particular manifestation of evil. His thoughtfulness, his tendency to turn things over in his mind and let you know what he's thinking, does not generally mix well with the sound bite environment. Under normal circumstances I'd say he would be taken advantage of by the media. On the other hand, speaking the truth while searching for it may not be such a bad idea. Desperate times and all . . .
