Pray, Pray, Pray, that's what our Blessed Mother says. We must pray for our priests, and for our Church. The devil goes after those closest to God. Apparently, he's had a field day for the past 75 years or so, because what's happening in our Church is nothing short of demonic or diabolical.
Who would have thought that such heinous crimes would occur in the Catholic Church? The hierarchy seems to be involved in this in more ways than we care to admit. My Dad was still alive when the first wave of priests were accused of sexual abuse of minors. His reaction was such that I can't repeat it here. His parents, sisters, & brother loved the Church and supported it whole-heartedly. It upset my Dad to think that his family and others were being taken advantage of. Insurance would only cover just so much of the settlements; the funds had to come from elsewhere.
How did this all happen? Because of a great number of priests and religious who were leaving the Church back in the sixties and prior, they were so desperate for vocations, that they took anyone who thought they had a vocation. Bad mistake-most of whom they took in, had homosexual tendencies; that is how all of this mess started.
Priests-real priests, need prayers to keep them faithful to their vocation. There are too many temptations out there, and any one of them can slip and fall, which has happened over the years. Priests are no different than you and me-they are human beings, and they need protection. Perhaps that's why the St. Michael the Archangel Prayer is perfect for keeping the priests on the straight and narrow road.
What has happened is despicable; no one can understand it, not even me. Priests are supposed to be men of Faith, who act in "persona Christi." There are many who do; but for those who don't, they need a major conversion of heart, mind, & soul if they want to remain in the priesthood. If they are not serious about their vocation, then they should leave.
Our Bishop, Frank Caggiano, is leading us in a Holy Hour and a Liturgy on Saturday morning, on the Feast of our Lady of Sorrows, to pray in reparation for the sins committed by bishops, archbishops and cardinals, as well as priests, so that we can begin to heal. While this is a start, the answer is to suspend all clerics who have misbehaved, or know of others who have engaged in such lewd conduct so that the Church can begin its purification process. Unless this happens, things won't change.
In closing, every Diocese must take this seriously and implement procedures that must be adhered to, so that our Church can be restored to its former beauty.
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