It happened again recently. I had just arrived at the Denver airport, there to speak at the popular annual “Living Our Catholic Faith” conference. As I was waiting with the others for the train to take me to the terminal, a man, maybe in his mid-40s, came closer to me.
“Are you a Catholic priest?” he kindly asked.
“Sure am. Nice to meet you,” I said as I offered my hand.
He ignored it. “I was raised a Catholic,” he replied, almost always a hint of a cut to come, but I was not prepared for the razor sharpness of the stiletto, “and now, as a father of two boys, I can’t look at you or any other priest without thinking of a sexual abuser.”
How to respond? Yell at him? Cuss him out? Apologize? Deck him? Express understanding? I must admit, all such reactions came to mind as I staggered with shame and anger from the damage of the wound he had inflicted with those stinging words.
For one,” I continued, “we priests deserve the more intense scrutiny, because people trust us more as we dare claim to represent God, so, when one of us do it — even if only a tiny minority of us ever have — it is more disgusting.
“Two, I’m afraid there are many out there who have no love for the church and are itching to ruin us. This is the issue they love to endlessly scourge us with.
“And, three, I hate to say it, there’s a lot of money to be made in suing the Catholic Church, while it’s hardly worth suing any of the other groups I mentioned before.”
We both by then had our luggage and headed for the door. He then put his hand out, the hand he had not extended five minutes earlier when I had put mine out to him. We shook.
(Billy's Thoughts>>> The above is part of a column written by the archbishop of New York. This column originally ran at the website for the Archdiocese of New York on March 18. I agree with those who think the Catholic Church at times didn't handle the abuse charges correctly. At the same time we must never forget there are good men who are priests and helping to make this world a better place. I would encourage you to read the whole column Timothy Michael Dolan: Priests wrongly stereotyped.)
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