Holy Church... Not so Holy men


Related image

Frustrated, angry, upset, annoyed, betrayed, hurt…just a few of the   words that explain how I feel about the scandal going on in the Church; a church that I love so much and have given my life to, a Church that has done so much good, saved so many lives, and has had such a positive impact on society. I can’t help but ask how we got to this point. However, before I get into that, first things first.

SORRY! Sorry to those who trusted the Church to take care of them, protect them, father them and lead them to heaven. Sorry to those who allowed the Church to enter their homes, confided in her, and ran to her in times of sorrow and joy. Sorry to those who went to the Church when they needed help but instead were victimized by the Church, abused by her, taken advantage of, and assaulted. My heart breaks for you. I am extremely sorry. I know I am not an ordained minister, a spokesperson of the church, nor a high-ranking prelate of the Church but I do help form the body of Christ. No, I am not the head or even the hand but I am part of that body and as a member of that body I ask you to allow me to offer my sincere apology.

My brothers and sisters, don’t be confused, I am Catholic and I always will be. I stand with the Church, the Church that Christ himself established, not with those who allow corruption within the Church. I’m fighting for the Church and I’m asking her to rid herself of all that is not of the Lord, of all malice, deceit, insincerity, envy and slander (1Peter 2:1). I ask Holy Mother Church, in this new season of her mission, to pray for a brand new pentecost, for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I ask Holy Mother Church for reform.

“The Church exists in order to evangelize” (Pope Paul VI). And “The mission of Christ the Redeemer, which is entrusted to the Church, is still very far from completion” (Pope John Paul II). But in order for the Church to sincerely move forward and accomplish her mission she must first go through a process of purification and reform. With reform comes 2 options: run the other way and never look back or stand your ground and fight for reform within the Church. What do I think that reform looks like?

  • The resignation and permanent removal of any prelate (high ranking church official) or any ordained minister of the church who has ever been accused, questioned, suspected of any sexual abuse, misconduct, or assault. 
  • A published list of all within the Church who have been found guilty of sexual abuse. 
  • An internal investigation led by the laity (those who are not ordained ministers).
  • A public apology from Pope Francis and from every diocese in America.
  • A universal investigation led by laity, in every diocese in the world, which brings everything to the light.
  • A solid and detailed plan on how to deal with those who have abused and how to care for those who have been abused.
  • A plan to ensure that this does not repeat.
  • Reformation on every level of the Church (seminaries, chanceries, Catholic schools, hospitals, charities, policies & procedures, parish life, etc.)
  • The list goes on but I will stop with these key points.

The Church must regain the trust of her flock and it is only then we can recover and move forward. To those who lead the Church: I am struggling. I have not lost faith in Christ but I am now skeptical of many of you. I struggle to trust that you care for my wellbeing and are not just part of the corruption and coverup. I fear that many of you have lost sight of your mission and instead are more concerned with power, money, prestige, etc. I, your son, am crying out. Help me to trust you again. I cannot and will not be led by someone I do not trust. And yes, my faith is in Christ who is the rock and head of the Church, and not in man. However, Christ has entrusted me to men, so get your act together and accomplish your mission. 

I am nowhere near perfect. I am a sinner and so is everyone else. I am aware of that. I am also aware that God’s grace is sufficient and that if I am called to a mission then his grace will carry me through. I have played many roles within the Church and I recognize my own weakness and I urge you to do the same. If you can’t successfully accomplish your mission, step down. If you struggle psychologically, get help. Don’t keep saying yes just so you can rise in rank and climb the ladder. Or because of your pride. 

I am aware of the pressure that comes with the Roman collar. Priests are trained in theology, philosophy, and pastoral care. You are not trained to be CEO’s, CFO’s, business managers, project managers, administrators, etc. But unfortunately, with the collar comes those expectations. And this is where the laity can rise up. I’m not making an excuses but we the laity  do play a major role in the reformation of the Church.

I truly believe that our Church was established by Christ and serves as the sacrament of salvation for all and it is because of that belief that I chose to not run but to fight for reformation. As a Church we must be honest with ourselves. We have messed up, many are hurt and wounded and we have a lot of work to do. With that being said, let us not say we’ll be ok. This is Christ’s Church. He promised that it will never be destroyed (Matthew 16:18).That is true but there is still healing to be done, trust to be restored, and reformation from within to take place. 

Christ wants a Church that is in “splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be Holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27). Let us fight so that when he returns in his Glory that this may be the Church that he finds.   

Beloved son of the Church,

Paul Albert    

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How a Missionary Family Spends a Month in America

Image
Since moving to Haiti in October 2012, we've never travelled to the U.S. for just a break. Our trips have always had a purpose: Nathaniel's surgeries as a baby, speaking engagements or other work to gain support for the mission, Thérèse's birth, weddings, a funeral, etc. So though this trip has a vacation scheduled into it, here's a peek at what a missionary family does their first time in the U.S. after 7 months. April 16: Fly to ATL April 17-19: Long overdue marriage retreat in ATL April 19-21: Life Teen missionary end-of-year retreat at Life Teen's Camp Covecrest in GA April 21-23: Life Teen bi-annual staff & missionary retreat at Life Teen's Camp Hidden Lake, also in GA April 23-26:  4 doctor's appointments and catching up with dear friends at Covecrest, including Nathaniel's Godparents April 26-May: 1 First family vacation (since our honeymoon) in North Carolina, thanks to a generous mission partner May 1-May 4: Driving to an...
Read more

To the guy who killed my brother

Image
To the guy who killed my brother, Murderer! Is not who you are and deep down inside I truly believe that you are afraid, in shock, confused and on a rollercoaster of emotions. Your actions have my family feeling the same and so much more. We are angry, heartbroken, distraught. Some of us are in a place of despair, frustrated and feeling as if we've been dealt a bad hand. To you, I'll call you guy, I pray and hope that you have befriended my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Never before have I felt such heartache and pain. It's as if my heart is being crushed. My older brother wasn't perfect and none of us are. But he spent a good part of his life putting others before himself. He was a son, a little brother, a big brother, the "world's best uncle", a friend and so much more. Most importantly Erwins was a child of God. Therefore he is not only good but the first chapter of Genesis ensures us that he was created very good. Guy, the same goes for ...
Read more

Moms, Mary knows

It was perfect timing. Today at Palm Sunday Mass I was the narrator in the Passion narrative. While I was reading, a few of the Haitian missionary kiddos that live at our mission base had given Nathaniel their palms that they had tied in the shape of circles. As I got to the part of the story of Jesus’ suffering where the soldiers made a crown of thorns and pushed it into Jesus’ head, I noticed that Nathaniel was trying to get Paul to put the “crown of palms” around his head.  I choked on my words as I struggled to read the narrative and immediately thought about our beautiful Mother Mary. I wanted to stop for a minute and sob, but I had to keep going. Yes, Jesus suffered and died for us and experienced an unbearable amount of pain. Mary suffered in a different way, though. She watched the closest person to her get publicly mocked, flogged, and ultimately crucified.  Nathaniel and Thérèse currently have nasty coughs and during the night I feel like crying when I hear th...
Read more