PARIS (FRANCE)
La Croix International [France]
September 12, 2024
By Jean de Saint-Cheron
Amid ongoing revelations of sexual abuse, often involving prominent clergy members, the Catholic Church must intensify its pursuit of truth, as the temptation to maintain secrecy remains strong within the institution.
“A bad conscience is easier to cope with than a bad reputation,” wrote Friedrich Nietzsche. The statement is terribly true.
So much so that every human being and every human institution prefers to save face at the expense of truth rather than tarnish its reputation. If we all walked around with our sins stamped on our foreheads, if families revealed their secrets in full light, or if businesses advertised their legal violations on billboards, life would be unbearable and absurd.
It’s appropriate that our errors, betrayals, and failures aren’t exposed without cause. And it’s only when someone else accuses us of wrongdoing that our reputation can rightfully be damaged. If we are indeed guilty, justice for the victims demands that the truth about our actions be brought to light. Often, abusers describe their own actions to those around them who are aware as “indiscretions.”
Further reading: Abbé Pierre: After the shock, the duty of truth
This is a phrase of profound perversion. Saying, “I was indiscreet with that young woman,” is a very insidious way to save one’s reputation at the cost of one’s conscience, implying that the temptation came from the victim and that the blame lies more on her.
Nietzsche was right.
A higher truth
It’s understandable that the church, like any human institution, wants to protect its image. There is certainly a small, idealistic voice within us that whispers that the church is not just any institution—it is supposed to carry a higher truth that demands particular courage. Jesus warned against “whitewashed tombs,” which “look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of bones and all kinds of impurity.”
Further reading: Sexual abuse of minors, the forgotten continent
But before we reach the perfect holiness that isn’t of this world, the urgent task is to deliver justice to the victims where they exist and to prevent others as much as possible when we have the means to do so. This is the effort the church in some countries seems to have undertaken. However, new cases appearing one after the other (brought to light thanks to the immense courage of the victims who dared to speak out) reminds us that we are far from finished.
“It is a strange and lengthy war, where violence seeks to suppress truth,” wrote Blaise Pascal. The violence of safeguarding a reputation at the expense of justice.
Further reading: The sex abuse crisis and the future of the Catholic Church
It’s hard to accept the tarnishing of admired figures, pastors, or “role models.” It’s difficult to admit that their “charisma” does not justify hiding their dangerous and unacceptable behavior, allowing them to continue their sinister actions in the shadows.
But lies, silence, and contempt for victims are unworthy of the church and will always damage its reputation more than efforts for truth inspired by charity.
Jean de Saint-Cheron is an essayist and columnist for La Croix.