http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=30 7/12/2002 - 3:30 PM PST Fishers of Men By the Honorable Senator Rick Santorum Like most American Catholics, I have followed the recent sex scandals in the Church with profound sympathy for victims, revulsion over priests who prey on minors and frustration at the absence of hierarchical leadership. Unlike most, I have been visited by the gift of hope; for I see in this fall an opportunity for ecclesial rebirth and a new evangelization of America. This "new evangelization," advocated strenuously by Pope John Paul II, has the potential for restoring confidence in the priesthood while empowering all American Catholics. The most obvious change must occur within American seminaries, many of which demonstrate the same brand of cultural liberalism plaguing our secular universities. My hope was rekindled last week as our American Cardinals proposed from Rome an "apostolic visitation" of seminaries emphasizing "the need for fidelity to the Church's teaching, especially in the area of morality." It is an arduous task. However, the Pope made it clear last week that he expects the strong appeal of the Cardinals to be followed by decisive Episcopal action. It is startling that those in the media and academia appear most disturbed by this aberrant behavior, since they have zealously promoted moral relativism by sanctioning "private" moral matters such as alternative lifestyles. Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture. When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm. The cultural change needed cannot end with our seminaries. Most of the American Cardinals, while strong defenders of the faith , are from a different era with only a few responding to the new demands our decaying culture has place upon them. With God's grace, a new hierarchy must emerge that will be both faithful in thought and courageous in confronting all infidelity within the Church. Such Church leaders have a great example in Pope John Paul II's battle with communism's attempt to destroy the Church and human dignity. A new hierarchy must similarly fight against an array of "isms"-moral relativism, cultural liberalism-inside and outside of the Church. Most importantly, I hope this crisis in the clergy will remind the laity of the call of Vatican II, a call the Pope has re-echoed throughout his incredible papacy. This is not just the hierarchy's church; it belongs to all the baptized. Pope John Paul II reminds us time and again of Luke's Gospel: "Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch." We are all called to be "fishers of men." Both clergy and laity have mutually supportive and indispensable roles in the "new evangelization" through administration of the sacraments and proclamation of the Gospel and all Church teachings. Even now we witness this "new evangelization" through many ecclesial lay movements such as Opus Dei, the Neocatechumenate, Focolare, Regnum Christi, Communion and Liberation. The laity across America is also demanding faithful Catholic schools and colleges. The key to success, as the Pope stated in his 1999 exhortation, The Church in America, is to be "formed in the truths and values of the Church's social teaching and in the basic notions of a theology of the laity." A renewed, united effort of clergy and laity will transform the Church. That this does not already occur belies the greatest systemic failure of the Church in America where so many cradle Catholics have left the Church or go "unchurched" because of exposure to uninspired, watered down versions of our faith by those with deficient seminary training. In light of recent events, the laity must guide them back. We as the Church, the people of God, cannot and should not leave the mission of the Church to the clergy alone, nor should our role be limited to overseeing priestly training and conduct. The laity must assist the whole Church in America reclaim our nominally Catholic colleges, schools, hospitals and social welfare agencies for the sake of our souls. The Pope reminds us that Catholic educational institutions make possible "a wide-ranging evangelizing effort as long as there is a clear will to impart truly Christian education. Many Catholic social service agencies, while serving the human needs, have been co-opted by a secular culture. The Pope calls them also to "faithfully reflect the attitude of Jesus who came to proclaim good news to the poor." As a Catholic U.S. Senator, I am proud to see the Church, often alone, take one courageous stand after another on the great moral issues of the day: abortion, cloning, third world debt relief, AIDS and the breakdown of the family to name a few. The Catholic Church remains true to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the dictates of the natural law. Through 2000 years, the Church, built upon rock, has survived every arrow sinful man has shot at her from within and without. Another arrow has been loosed from within, piercing the Body of Christ. The time is now for the laity to come to her aid. We must heed the call of Christ through his Vicar on earth: Climb into Peter's boat and go into the deep! Contact: Senate Republican Conference www.catholic.org DC, US Senator Rick Santorum - Senator, 202-224-9068 Email: loredana_vuoto@src.senate.gov Keywords: Sex scandal in the Catholic Church Wow! I'm not sure where to begin here. I know that Bostonians are livid and are demanding an apology. What an idiotic view to believe that being cultured and educated and liberal causes molestation in the Catholic Church. I don't get it.
I am a liberal, yet I am no child molester. Rick must be getting senile, or he just jumped the shark.
Welcome back, Azadre. I think Santorum has lost it. I got back a few days ago from a month in the Northeast, including 2 weeks in Boston hanging with one of our best friends, and five days staying at the rectory of my wife's uncle, who's an 83 year old Augustinian priest living in Philadelphia. As you might imagine, it's beyond bizarre to read this garbage right after being "in the lion's den," as it were. We often have a tendency to typecast. My "uncle-in-law" is very conservative, so I expected the fellow priests of his order to be as well. Nope! Not at all. There were about ten of them there, and the whole political spectrum was covered, with the uncle being the most conservative. I had made a vow not to talk politics among the fathers, but they found that silly, and prodded me to express some opinions. They all knew I wouldn't "belong to a club that would have me as a member," as the Marx brothers would put it, but were very generous, of great spirit, and couldn't have been better hosts. I digress. Did I say Santorum is an ass-clown? No? He is, and one of high public office, which makes that fact even worse. I feel sorry for those he represents. Keep D&D Civil!!
Santorum - The frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex. I knew that I had heard that word somewhere.
The GOP made such a big deal over Dean's comments. Why haven't we heard them denouncing Santorum for this?
What he said makes perfect sense to me. The topic title is misleading, as usual. Nowhere does he say all liberals are child molesters.
leroy420 already emboldened the heart of the message. Nowhere is there an equasion of liberals with child molesters.
He's definitely intimating causation. "While it is no excuse for this scandal, it is no surprise that Boston, a seat of academic, political and cultural liberalism in America, lies at the center of the storm."
Well, of course. That's his point. This "seat of liberalism" is home to one of the grossest scandals of our time: men of the cloth abusing the youth in their charge. His point is that it is not a mere coincidence that the heart of this scandal was in Boston, MA rather than Greenville, SC or Birmingham, AL.
And because that is his point he is sreading baseless informartion that bemoans people. Boston being home to a heavily Catholic population probably has more to do with Catholic Priests being involved with Charities, pedophilia, or just about anything else good or bad associated with Catholic priests. It has nothing to do with liberal or conservative. For him to insinuate that it does, is just Santorum trying to drive a wedge between people that should be on the same side. It is shameful. You are right. That is Santorum's point. BEcause that is his point, he should apologize, and or retire from public life.
Then, FB, what does explain it? See you are the one over-reaching. He doesn't say that everything about "liberalism" is bad-- that's where you get your good charity etc. Liberalism (and it's penchant for "isms") has led to the erosion of standards and discipline which has allowed this to happen. Liberalism doesn't recognize "standing in the gap" against an effrontery. It rather enlarges all the gaps it can find.
Damn. I'm so sick of partisan politicians and their lap-dog supporters. Some priests molested children, so they should be found out, and they should be imprisoned. End of story. It has absolutely nothing to do with conlibservativalpublicratocity. It is, and should be, a matter for the criminal courts, not these grandstanding politicans who demean everything in the name of getting campaign donations and the votes of idiots. I wish people would stop buying into this garbage. There are more than two viewpoints in the world, but when you reduce the world to only two, then both end up being wrong. So, **** conservatives, and **** liberals, and **** TV gameshow politics. (but don't **** altarboys).
This sex abuse has been happening for a very long time. People are just now able to come forth with these things. They are now able to talk more freely about such matters due the the corrosion of unhealthy, backwards social stigmas brought upon by conservative, Puritan societal sex taboos. The church is to blame for ignoring this problem for so long. When you combine ignorance and fear, bad things can happen. The idea that accepting homosexuals leads to the sexual abuse of children by Priests is just hideous.
I agree with most of that. But in this case, Santorum wasn't actually saying anything partisan. He didn't say democrats were to blame. He said the rampant moral relativism contributed to a culture where sexual mores are broken down, pretty much. I would agree with that whether it was spoken by republican, democrat, libertarian, socialist, or the yay we like cheese party.
