and borrow your account when you weren’t looking?

This diary employs the liberal literary devices of factual deficiency, hasty generalization, and high emotion. IMHO, it doesn’t resemble a standard tankertodd contribution at all.

Please keep our priests in your prayers. If they are doing God’s work, you can be sure the devil is tempting them more aggressively because of it.

n/t

The vast majority of priest victims were too old for the abuse to be the result of pedophilia. These men primarily preyed on adolescent males. The problem is not pedophilia but, rather, predatory homosexual behavior. The problem of adults sexually abusing children is not limited to Catholic priests. Consider the recent report of teachers who are still being transferred from school to school by a certain major school district. Further, celibacy is not the problem. A person who will sexually abuse a minor under his or her care will do so whether or not they are married.

The gates of Hell will never prevail against the Church. You should never let a few bad people in it turn you away from the truth.

Resources:
http://www.usccb.org/nrb/johnjaystudy/
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-teachers10-2009may10,0,1000273.story.
http://www.catholicleague.org/rer.php?topic=The+Sex+Abuse+Scandal&id=110
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2964/pedophiliacelibacy.html

its faulty and sinful human members. It’s is Holy because of the Sacraments and the Magisterium. The Sacraments are material representations of supernatural realities and they are channels to God’s Grace. It is God and His Grace that are Holy, not the fallen human members that the Church is ministering to . . . to extend your faulty logic, it’s like saying I’ll never step foot in a hospital again because it’s filled with sick people. But, if your life were in danger from injury or acute illness, then I doubt you’d refuse to be taken to the nearest hospital.

The Magisterium is the teaching authority of the Church. This is what protects the integrity of Divine Revelation. In other words, it weeds out heresy from truth concerning what we know about who God is, how salvation works, etc. This is another element that makes the Church Holy.

Finally, Jesus Himself foretold that the Church would have both weeds and wheat growing together in the field of the Lord (i.e. the Church) and that Hell would constantly assault the Church (but would not in the end prevail). He also foretold of false profits. The Church has had all of these and will certainly experience more persecution from both within and without.

I encourage you to take second look at both the Church and your logic. Although the Church is not Holy because of its fallen human members, you can still find saints among the Church. In other words, pray for the weeds (the grave sinners) and look to the wheat (those who have progressed far in virtue) for inspiration. And, go to Church, not because of who’s in the next pew or who the priest is, but for the Sacraments and the Grace that is provided in abundance by those Sacraments.

As for the logic, if you judge any institution by its fallen human members, then you will always be disappointed. Every police department, fire department, Hospital, orphanage, charity, school, government, etc. will have corrupt members who have gravely sinned and violated sacred trusts bestowed upon them. You will quickly run out of institutions that you can have faith in. Don’t base your faith on the behavior of other sinners. Base it on God alone.

Take Care, mailloux