Why Cardinal Mahony and others are participating in conclave despite scandal

By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
2/28/2013
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Cardinal Mahony isn't unique.

As Pope Benedict XVI transitions to being Pope Emeritus, the conclave of cardinals due to elect his successor gathers in Rome. Unfortunately, the events of the past several years have cast a dark pall over the conclave and several of the cardinals.

Cardinal Mahony wearing the ashes which signify repentance, during an Ash Wednesday service.

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VATICAN CITY (Catholic Online) - The world is now quite aware of the scandal brought about by the shocking accusations against Cardinal Keith O'Brien, and the uproar over the attendance of Cardinal Mahony at the conclave. However, fewer people are aware that the scandal is much more widespread.

Multiple cardinals participating in the conclave are facing allegations of various sorts in their home countries. They include other cardinals from the United States as well as Belgium, Canada, Chile, Ireland, Italy, and Spain, and likely others.

This insight helps explain why cardinals such as Mahony, chose to attend the conclave in spite of his current involvement in scandal. Several fellow cardinals are in the same situation.

This does not mean that the cardinals are fundamentally evil or corrupt. The cardinals currently gathering in Rome have not been accused of sexual misconduct themselves. Cardinal O'Brien, who was accused, elected to refrain from attending. The epidemic of child abuse and scandal in the church is the product of other environmental factors which were never developed to cope with such cases.

The Church is an ancient institution, with many of its practices being codified during the medieval period of European history. These practices include a tradition of protecting both the Church's reputation and clergy against civil authorities, which have at times been quite hostile to the Church.

This is not to say the current epidemic of sweeping scandal under the rug is appropriate, it simply helps to explain why it's happened. It's part of the culture of the Church, developed over centuries to protect the Church from genuine enemies.

Unfortunately, that same protective instinct has permitted the rise of enemies, such as predator priests, to flourish within the Church itself.

The cardinals are painfully aware of this fact. They know their own house needs to be cleaned. Many have taken steps to address the myriad crises and made apologies for failing to handle things properly in the first case. This includes Cardinal Mahony.

While we cannot rewrite the past or erase the errors and wrongs committed by some Church leaders amid a culture of secrecy, we can move forward with a new understanding and hope.

It is broadly hoped that the next pontiff will be a strict disciplinarian who will take to task the job of creating a church that is safe for everybody, including its most innocent and vulnerable charges - children.

The process begins with selecting a pope who will address the issue of sexual immorality within the clergy itself. This includes the removal of those acting out on sexual urges against church and civil law, and those who have otherwise broken just laws in other countries. It includes immediate, full disclosure to the authorities of crimes both past and future. It includes acknowledgement of the problem, restitution to the victims, and accountability to ensure such problems do not persist.

In short, the next pope will need to "put his house in order" as Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor suggested earlier this week.

Hopefully the cardinals will listen to Murphy-O'Connor and appoint just such a man. The time is right, and for so many faithful, the stakes have never been higher.

� 2013, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.

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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Cardinal Mahony, sex abuse, scandal, pope, election, chean house, Keith O'Brien, Murphy-O'Connor

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1 - 10 of 10 Comments

Charles
2 months ago
The church issues are recently made food for all. Mind you the church shall suffer these publications in future. Though the nonchalant attitude of our clergies is wildspread, yet we must not wash our linen ouside.
abey
2 months ago
Like it is written "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God & His Righteousness, then all things will be added" to this the Church led by its Cardinals fall not from its First estate to Christ & The Father which is to contend for the "Apostolic Faith" in the Spirit & truth, then all things including the corrections will be brought about, by not making Christ into a politician, seeking political cures, which never is a cure, but by the Faith in the Word. Liberal ones especially in America & the West underscored in "Secularism" seek their voice too, except that unto many of them Biblical Morality even in the Spirit is a secondary issue, the very error to the Faith. Where a politician resonates according to the desires of their people, which amounts to 'Appeasings", a man of God resonates according to the Will of God by the Word which is to serve, but not according to the desires, which undue desires are to the sin, hence not to appeasing, for the sin of Idolatry is in the appeasing.
Celine
2 months ago
Priests are also human beings & can fall into sin & temptation anytime. What I do not condone are the actions taken by the bishops in hushing everything & sending the guilty elsewhere to do more harm. They should have been punished by their superiors & sent far away from their parishes to those monasteries where they have no contact with others & spend their day in work, pray & penance & some psychiatric help as well. If reporting them to the authorities was not the solution, at least the children would be out of harm's way. The church administrators have made some very bad decisions & our faith is now paying the price for these errors which is truly a shame!!
Erika
2 months ago
@Nancy J. Murphy: That's quite disingenuous of you. There are many Catholics in America who have become lax in their faith, but there are still faithful ones here, as well. Not to mention that every country at this time has many "cafeteria" Catholics, heretics within the Church, and Catholics in name only. It's not just of you to say something like that, thinking that you know the soul of every single American Catholic.
Jim Cronin
2 months ago
This child abuse is destroying the Catholic Church. It is impossible for Cardinals,Law and
Mahony to allow this under the guise of protecting the church. Their actions seems to say
the empirical church will tell its members what to do and they will obey and do it.....regardless of the situation. Cardinal Law was told exactly what was being done to young boys and he ignored it and told the people to be silent. His actions were criminal. Did he ever wonder and say What would Jesus do in this situation? Apparently not. How sad.
I wonder if the church thru Homilies could speak on subjects lie homosexuality, gay marriage, abortion, prematerial sex and contraception. I think this would help address many
issues of today.
National surveys seem to show that many Catholics don't understand the church's teachings
on most of these subjects.. These issues will not be popular.....but isn't that what we need to
do?
.
gene
2 months ago
Jesus said: If you love me, you will keep my commandments. Shielding child rapists from paying a price for their crimnality is criminal behavior. These modern day Pharisees are nothing but common crimninals who belong in prison. Only the lame brained are fooled by their antiquated costumes and meaningless dribble. if you claim to represent jesus and put yourself above the law, i would say you're walking on very very thing ice!
James
2 months ago
Firstly, Cormac Murphy-O'Connor hasn't been implicated in anything of a sexual nature (yet) but maybe you don't realise but, here in England, he was a cheerleader fro anything homosexual or Modernist.

He's a careerist and says what will make him popular and get him noticed.

At the same time, it's awfully tempting to come over all Donatist at times like this.

Murphy-O'Connor is toxic to the Church, just are so many other Cardinals we just don't know about. And, it's never been any different.

Pray rather than bleat.
Augusta Eze
2 months ago
My candid advise to our clergy is to all stop and think about the ripple effect of their acts on the church and the lay apostolate before they commit any such shameful act.
Its been very difficult living out our faith as catholics due to the sexual scandals of the past 8years but when and if we let ourselves to be over powered by the influence of the Holy Spirit....the face of tour dear Mother church shall be renewed.
LoyolaAlum
2 months ago
Is Tod Tamberg, who Mahony hired to do Archdiocese PR, in Rome helping Mahony?
Nancy J. Murphy
2 months ago
The Roman Catholic Church must reject the American Roamin' Catholic Community immediately and totally. The Church must return to being worthy of the promises of Christ. I do not see victory on the horizon.

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