UNITED STATES
Questions from a Ewe
Food for thought:
* Imagine your English teacher demonstrating mastery of the language by regularly uttering statements like this, “We seen them deer when we was up north!”
* Imagine your mathematics teacher regularly adding numbers incorrectly.
* Imagine your social studies teacher talking about visiting “Toledo, the capital of the U.S.”
* Imagine your music teacher with an inability to count rhythms correctly or carry a tune.
Now try to imagine yourself valuing these teachers’ lessons. In each case, regardless of the theory expressed, actions belied their true subject-matter expertise to the point you probably justifiably questioned their credibility…a lot… Their actions told you, “I am not qualified to teach about this.”
Now:
* Imagine your Catholic faith teacher, who professes to know more than you about truth, being exposed as a liar.
* Imagine your faith teacher confusing the commandment about adultery with those about murder or stealing.
* Imagine your faith teacher enabling and covering up clergy’s sexual abuse of minors but writing the Church’s norms to protect children.
Such is the case with the Catholic hierarchy and sexual abuse. The bishops declare themselves the ultimate teaching authorities on faith yet, on a weekly basis we read of bishops being caught telling lies or enabling abusers. We live with the appalling reality that bishops equate raping children to an adulterous affair, though rape is about forcefully taking that which is not given and destroying the child’s physical, emotional and spiritual life in the process. Perhaps lesser known, the primary authors of the US bishops’ charter to protect children, themselves harbored sexually abusive priests even after the charter was signed. What is most puzzling of all is that a) the bishops think anyone should take them seriously as moral authorities and b) that anyone does.
Here are just a smattering of proof points:
1. Archbishop John Nienstedt of Minneapolis said in an April, 2014 sworn legal deposition that he didn’t know until March, 2014 that Ken LaVan, a priest with multiple credible sexual abuse accusations, was still in active ministry. However, this past week revealed that ole John was actually getting annual updates about Ken’s ministry activities.
Psst….John, this is called “lying” and violates the 8th Commandment: “Thou shall not bear false witness.” John, I gotta tell ya, this really kills your street creds in the truth department. Plus, when you lie under oath in this country, it is also called a “crime” further crumbling your “truthiness” credibility. Much like Dr. Seuss’ book calling for another liar to depart public leadership, “Marvin K. Mooney Will You Please Go Now!”, I think it’s beyond time we say, “John C. Nienstedt Will You Please Go Now!”
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