UNITED STATES
National Catholic Register
November 19, 2018
By Patti Armstrong
Words of advice from Phil Lawler, Marcy Klatt, Edward Sri and George Weigel
It’s clear that the dust from the Church sexual abuse scandals will not clear any time soon. What is not entirely clear is how Catholics should respond.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains why it’s so damaging:
Scandal takes on a particular gravity by reason of the authority of those who cause it or the weakness of those who are scandalized. It prompted our Lord to utter this curse: ‘Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea’ (Matthew 18:6). Scandal is grave when given by those who by nature or office are obliged to teach and educate others. Jesus reproaches the scribes and Pharisees on this account: he likens them to wolves in sheep’s clothing (CCC 2285).
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