Question 8.129

8.129 How does one speak without useless polemics, with complete objectivity, about the betrayal of some men of the Church?

In the seminaries, a small minority of men were able to hide the problems that put them deeply at odds with the priestly vocation. I cannot understand how they could have accepted ordination, only to find themselves afterward in a situation where they regularly profaned the sacraments.

In his pastoral letter to the Catholics of Ireland, Benedict XVI had very stern words about the priests and religious who have abused children. He wrote: “You betrayed the trust that was placed in you by innocent young people and their parents, and you must answer for it before Almighty God and before properly constituted tribunals. You have forfeited the esteem of the people of Ireland and brought shame and dishonor upon your confreres. Those of you who are priests violated the sanctity of the sacrament of Holy Orders in which Christ makes himself present in us and in our actions. Together with the immense harm done to victims, great damage has been done to the Church and to the public perception of the priesthood and religious life. I urge you to examine your conscience, take responsibility for the sins you have committed, and humbly express your sorrow. Sincere repentance opens the door to God’s forgiveness and the grace of true amendment. By offering prayers and penances for those you have wronged, you should seek to atone personally for your actions. Christ’s redeeming sacrifice has the power to forgive even the gravest of sins, and to bring forth good from even the most terrible evil. At the same time, God’s justice summons us to give an account of our actions and to conceal nothing. Openly acknowledge your guilt, submit yourselves to the demands of justice, but do not despair of God’s mercy.” (7)

A man of the Church who commits such sins is lying to himself and betraying God. Christ gave him all the means to carry out his priesthood, but he preferred to make a pact with the forces of darkness. And so the grace that was given him on the day of his ordination is seriously thwarted. A seminarian is never forced to become a priest. Well, then, what possible reason could a man who experiences such lethal impulses have for choosing the path of priesthood? Some specialists in these matters think that a pedophile always gravitates toward a setting where he knows he will be able to meet children. This explanation shows the extent to which the Church must strengthen her controls so as to detect this type of individual, which is certainly a small minority.

The pedophile is guilty of a threefold betrayal, of himself, of the Church, and of the baptized people, but he is also responsible for radically challenging the teaching of Christ. The worst criminal always has the possibility of divine forgiveness, but the pedophile priest puts himself into a situation of head-on combat with the Son of God.