ALLENTOWN (PA)
The Morning Call
September 22, 2019
By Tom Garrity
Like so many Catholics, the sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Catholic Church has been demoralizing for me. I am angry. I’m sickened by the evil deeds of so many priests. My heart aches for victims and their families. And I’m saddened that so many of my family and friends have walked away. I have wanted to as well.
I think most everyone would agree — even if you didn’t believe in anything the Roman Catholic Church stood for — it was at the very least a moral compass, a rock, that we knew was there in the storm of life, challenging us to be better human beings. And then, poof, it all seemed to be a hoax. First Boston in 2002. Then the Pennsylvania grand jury report in 2018. Unfortunately, I’m sure there will be more to come.
The real loss here isn’t the dwindling population in the institution of the church; it’s that the church has become irrelevant in the hearts and minds of people who want/need/desire a nurturing of their spirit. And Christ has lost a channel to reach His flock.
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