With the kinds of news headlines Catholics have been treated to about scandals in their Church over the past several weeks (years, really), it seems a reasonable question:
Why would anyone remain a Catholic?
In a Good Friday column at NPR, Elizabeth Scalia, the super power known as The Anchoress in the Catholic blogosphere, offers a moving response:
“The darkness within my church is real, and it has too often gone unaddressed. The light within my church is also real, and has too often gone unappreciated. A small minority has sinned, gravely, against too many. Another minority has assisted or saved the lives of millions.”
I am so impressed with Scalia’s courage. It is with great fear and trembling that I would share a defense of my faith in such hostile territory as NPR. But she does so with amazing grace.
“I remain within, and love, the Catholic Church because it is a church that has lived and wrestled within the mystery of the shadow lands ever since an innocent man was arrested, sentenced and crucified, while the keeper of “the keys” denied him, and his first priests ran away. Through 2,000 imperfect—sometimes glorious, sometimes heinous—years, the church has contemplated and manifested the truth that dark and light, innocence and guilt, justice and injustice all share a kinship, one that waves back and forth like wind-stirred wheat in a field, churning toward something—as yet—unknowable.”
Scalia’s perspective is made all the more powerful—and yet vulnerable—by her admission that she herself is a survivor of sexual abuse.
In the 300+ comments her short column has garnered so far, there certainly are some angry voices, eager to take down Scalia along with the rest of the Church. But there are thankful voices too. There are people who are grateful to hear the truth of a real Catholic’s perspective on a Church she loves.
I am grateful for Scalia’s words too. The more real Catholics speak up and share honestly about their love of their faith—even while admitting the deep wounds that have been caused by the sexual abuse, the closer we can get to healing.
We don’t need Katie Couric’s analysis. We need real Catholic voices, offering real perspective on why they still live in and love the Catholic Church. Thank you, Elizabeth, for having the courage to begin the conversation.
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I, too, have felt as Scalia (and so many others) but have not found the words to say it. I feel a new kinship to those first Catholic/Christians led to the lions in Rome. We have those shouting for our deaths today (as evidenced by Scalia’s comments and others) but we will remain.
It is hard to be a Catholic but I feel as if this is our moment in the spotlight - so to speak - to be either stand with Jesus, Pope Benedict and every other faithful Catholics or deny our faith and walk away.
“Aren’t you a Catholic?”, the media and friends ask as we stand around the smoldering fire? “Didn’t I see you going to Church on Sunday?” another inquiries? “Aren’t you also a follower?” “Yes,” we reply even if that means our own public humiliation and embarrassment.
We will not die from what we are enduring - our pride perhaps is bruised and we may feel battered. But we will survive this.
The answer is simple: Remain a Catholic for Christ. It is the very Church that He founded and promised to remain with until the end of time.
Yikes. I made the mistake of reading about 10 pages of the comments on the NPR site. It’s sad to see so much misinformation and raw hatred. The number of lies told about the Church was painful, and would take days to try to correct them all.
Thanks, Danielle! I saw Elizabeth’s article as well and was very inspired by it. In fact, it inspired me to write a post of my own over on Fallible Blogma. I hope many others will do the same.
I think you’re right…I hope this is the beginning of the conversation that includes a lot of Catholics simply speaking to what they love and who they are. That is one of the missing parts to this terrible pop-narrative of late.
We shouldn’t be afraid of the truth. And the more we proclaim it the more we will slowly chip away at the catholic hate and mis-information so prevalent these days.
The Catholic Church IS the true church founded by Christ who is God Himself and no small group of sinful priests or bishops can ever change that. Her teachings are true and timeless regardless of the sins of others. The gates of hell will not prevale.
Thank you for standing up for Christ and His Church during these somewhat dark days, I say somewhat dark because there is much light as well. My feelings are that the world has tried for 2000+ years to bring down the Catholic Church and have failed and they will fail again this year because It is Christ’s Church and He stands by it. I love my Church, it is my mother who feeds me and sustains me and I will never leave Her. When She is being attacked is not the time to leave but to defend after all we are soldiers for Christ.
God bless you.
I love the Catholic faith because of humble pious people like my grandfather who had an incredible devotion to our Lady; the many immigrants who left behind hungr and disease for a better life, for the staunch minority who defend all life, marriage and who are open to life, for the few who tirelessly serve the homeless without fan fare, for the many humble quiet monks and sisters who labor and pray for the church. For the sweet humble Savior who died for them and everyone else. Regrettably a few morons who entered our priesthood has blemished our reputation, but Christ lives and so will his church. We may end up fewer though. Maybe its about that time?
Scalia’s words are so beautifully written and every word is true to heart and Church as well. Danielle, thank you for your article that gives me the opportunity to post “Why Remain a Catholic?”
I wrote some time ago with my love and support with the Catholic Church:
http://www.redroom.com/blog/cath4608/to-keep-me.
Truly!
Sorry about the broken link in my earlier post. I thought it best to post it here:
To Keep Me
by Catherine Nagle
January 10, 2010, 7:58 pm
Church “To Keep Me”
I hear too many tragic experiences about the Church and not enough of all the good that they do for everyone. So, I’d like to share something wonderful that the Church has done for me:
I went to public school and didn’t spend as much time in Church when I was younger, other than CCD classes after school. However, I thrived in a blessed environment with parents (my mother) who actually brought God in our house as though He were alive and living among us. Losing my mother and becoming a widow at the age of twenty-six was the enduring and same time that my daughter started first grade in Catholic school. It was my first meeting with God in a school besides what I know of Him from home. Home, the House that was no longer.
Through anguish I searched for literature and other views of spirituality to the many questions that paraded on my mind - and never from any lack or support from the Church. The lack was in my spiritual development.
Catholic school tuition was an expense that didn’t come easy with my limited income as the sole provider of our family. But the Church understood the importance of a Christian education and made a way for us. The allowance wasn’t monetary; it was much more valuable than that. Earlier on, ( looking for a place to belong) we moved three times within a matter of three years before my daughter was in the third grade - and every new registration in school and Church (three to be exact) welcomed us with open arms to attend our needs. It was as though they were the only ones in the world that could see the turmoil and shown greater compassion and understanding consistently. If ever there came a time that I was a little behind in monthly school tuition or didn’t meet weekly donations in the Church envelopes; patience was shown and never any demands - and by the Grace of God it was possible to give my daughter twelve years of the best education possible along with religion until her graduation day.
Things have truly changed a lot in our lives since then; a new family, new house, new son, and a new public school. One of the things that stayed the same and true for us is the Catholic Church. Religious education is now taught in another building on our Church grounds. Our Church has a religious program and activities that meet every child all through their school years and more. The Church is the Holy family that has always been the emotional belonging of return. Home, the House to dwell in.
And I remain a child of the Catholic Church to bless and keep me.
When Our Lord asked the apostles “Are you going to leave also?”, Peter responded “Where would we go?”. Unfortunately, many of our fellow Catholics do not take the time to step back from the barrage of misinformation and use this as an excuse to abandon the Church.
Scalia has indeed written beautifully and presents a balance sorely needed.
We catholics believe in Jesus and His teachings, I am a catholic because I believe in Jesus and His Church. My faith does not depend on the behaviour of the priests God knows that the freedom He gave to the devil may beget sins. He knowing all these sent His only son Jesus to get humiliated and crucified as a ransom for all of the past. present and future generations. Let us pray that the anointed ones may lead a good life and lead us on the right path. Let us believe in Him who said ” Do not be afraid. I am with you always ” Media may try us, condemn us but facts are known ti God and He will punish the guilty and reward the innocents
“Why would anyone remain a Catholic?” The question itself shows a confusion of ideas. The first confusion is to see the Catholic Church through its hierarchy. The beautiful fact is that I am the Catholic Church. The readers of this message are the Catholic Church. The 98 percent of priests who have respected their vows are the Catholic Church. The victims are the Catholic Church.
The second confusion is between the message and the messenger. If the postman uprooted your rosebush on the way to your front door, would you refuse to read the mail? Two percent of the message bringers have desecrated the garden of faith with their “filth” (as the Holy Father aptly said it). Nevertheless, the message still holds. The Gospel of Matthew offers a healing for all of us.
We, the Catholic Church, have been given our personal cross. We must reach out to the victims of those who violated the message. We must help them, and show by example that they are not alone, that we love them, and will do all it takes to make amends, to speed the healing process.
Her words are beautiful. I am so thankful she has the love of the Church in her heart, giving her strength to say it. Let them say what they may about the column, because the hatred only shows the world how petty they are. The Truth will prevail!! I beleive with my whole heart my most precious gift is my Catholic Faith.
As a Catholic who fell away not only from the Church, but all churches during college and for years afterward, I realized something one day taking a day off of work to sun myself in the back yard after returning from a business trip. As I laid there thinking of what I would do if I were God, how I would do things differently, another thought entered my mind – “I am the Lord thy God, thou shall not have any other gods before me.” I said to myself, “Oh my God, I’m violating the First Commandment.” That afternoon and thought started me on a journey exploring the supernatural and Christianity – going to different denomination church serves with friends, one of which turned out to be witches (that was an awakening). They all had something going for them, but I realized something was missing in each and every one of them. I finally realized that I had experienced all those good aspects of the various denominations before in the Catholic faith of my youth. That is when I turned my attention to returning to the Church which had all those good things other churches had AND so much more. I haven’t regretted it, but I must admit the bishops acceptance of Cardinal Bernardin’s “seamless garment of life” since the mid 1980s has shaken my confidence in the Church leadership teachings and have caused me to ask them where Christ directed his followers to get government to do His works. The consequences of their teachings has resulted in over half of the church going Catholics, including the clergy, to continue to give their name and votes to the pro-abortion party, something that really shakes my faith in the truth of the teachings of my Church.
The question is..Why NOT remain a Catholic..? I FULLY support our Holy Father. I do not support the lying scumbags who are trying to steal everything they can…I do NOT support evil…PERIOD.
I have NEVER known a priest who was in any way the sort of man they are saying that our priests are..and neither has anyone else I know..male or female.
I think a molehill has been turned into a mountain…!
Stop being deceived..!
PERIOD…!
I will not quit on God and I will not quit the Catholic Church. Sure the Church has problems: it has the problems of man. I have problems. God has not quit on me. I love my faith.
The attacks on the Holy Father and the Church are very painful for all of us, but we know the end of the story, the gates of Hell will not prevail.
I love the Catholic faith and, as I’ve often said to my husband, sometimes we Catholics are Catholic IN SPITE of the priests in our parishes, not because of them. That being said, there are more priests who inspire us than not or certainly we would not be able to make such wonderful statements in response to Elizabeth Scalia’s brave article.
Catholics should know something about the history of pedophilia in this country that I don’t think too many know. Up until about 1985 pedophilia was considered to be a psychological disorder that could be “cured” through psychological counseling. The courts generally handled them in that way. I know that through first hand knowledge working for a State Legislator in southern CA who started getting constituents contacting us about the issue of child molesters needing stronger punishment, not counseling. The group asking for stronger sentencing of violators was called SLAM, stronger legislation against (child) molesters. They presented the newest psychological studies proving that offenders can not be cured with counseling. It took a couple years, but child sex offenders started be treated as criminals and were given longer sentences in prison. So, I differentiate how bishops dealt with clergy offenders based on that knowledge. Those who treated offenders as having a psychological disorder get a pass from me if the issue was handled before 1987. Those who handled the issue afterward as a disorder and not a criminal act have a lot of explaining to do. Everything I have heard and read about the most recent NY Times article which tries to lump Pope Benedict XVI earlier handling of a couple cases of clergy abuse are groundless, as yesterday’s Wall Street Journal opinion article clearly showed.
Jesus asked His Father to “forgive them, for they know not what they do”, while dying on the cross for our sins. That’s how I feel for persons who defy our church and our God. Nobody on earth is without sin, and we have to learn not to judge them, but to forgive them, because they will suffer the consequences.
The more I learn about our Faith, the more I cannot imagine being anything but Catholic. The whole of Truth is contained in Catholic teaching. The Church has had its scandals and problems in the past, and will endure. I believe that the current scandals will ultimately strengthen the faithful and the Church will be better for it.
One word - COMMUNITY - that’s all you need to know to understand the beauty of the Catholic Church. And it’s why I’ll never leave.
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