From AMERICA Magazine: Two More Takes on Sex Abuse Fallout

I enjoy America Magazine, a weekly Catholic magazine published by the Jesuits, and have subscribed for years. I even send them a donation from time to time, to support their work. Today I received their 5/17/2010 edition, and it has two articles with interesting takes on the Church's sex abuse problems.

The first, Of Many Things, is the regular "inside the front cover" article from one of the editors. This one, by Maurice Reidy, offered a viewpoint I had not heard before, one that sounded to me like someone suffering from classic depression:

"Some have reacted to the crisis with anger, others by leaping to the church's defense. Still others blame the media. I change the channel. It is not a response I am especially proud of. I wish I had the passion of my crusading colleagues. Yet I know I am not alone. We all deal with trama in different ways."

I'm sure he's NOT alone! Don't you think that perhaps there are a lot of us suffering from depression about this?

The second viewpoint is offered in a longer article, Pilgrim People, Part II. This one calls for a reformation of the Roman Curia -- and it mentioned several thoughts I've had myself:

"The renewal of the church must include the reform of the Roman Curia proposed by the Second Vatican Council and begun by Pope Paul VI. The interpersonal and institutional practices that blocked proper handling of abuse cases must be rooted out" ...
"There must be term limits for senior officials and rotation back to regular pastoral roles for secretaries and prefects of congregations, as there are for ministers in secular governments and for major religious superiors" ...
"In addition, communication and interaction between Vatican offices need to be improved...recruitment of personnel with listening skills and readiness to cooperate with others, not just their superiors, are ... necessary, as are leaders who encourage open communication both with their peers and their subordinates" ...
"Likewise, two-way communications must open up between bishops and the Holy See. In an age of globalizations, centralized church government has a special role to play, but overcentralization was a contributing factor to the dysfunction that has prolonged this crisis for more than two decades" ...
"Finally, the council called for laymen and laywomen to be given greater voice and to take greater part in church affairs."

Take a step...