The statistics quoted by Bensilal is a dangerous one. The Catholic Church has over 500,000 dedicated priests around the world. Owing to the wide publicity and pressure from different quarters around 400 priests in the US have been brought to stand trial for sexual abuses some dating back to 1960s.
While my aim is not to support those who are guilty or expose them this number constitutes only 0.08 per cent of the clergy. When we point fingers to this minute section we conveniently forget or refuse to appreciate or thank the dedicated services rendered by 99.02 per cent of the priests.
A large majority of the orphans are the result of illicit relations of married people like you and I. How many married couples are abusing their own children, or orphans under their charge? How many have been accused and brought to justice?
True, priests have made a commitment to God to remain chaste and a few, very few, have not been able to stay faithful. Are they not our brothers or children born and grown up like us? Do they not desire/deserve the mercy and compassion we often clamour for?
Come on let us share. Share the burden too.
With love and prayers
Joseph Lonth
Dubai, UAE
At 11:11 PM 4/3/03 -0600, you wrote:
Dear Friends,
Since 1965, more than 80,000 priests have been laicized according to Fr. Florencio Testera, former dean of cannon law. In the USA, more than 2500 priests since 1982 have sexually molested children. Many bishops were forced to resign from their offices after newspapers had exposed their sexual scandals.
After having found several orphanages worldwide a certain priest, devoted all his time to his apostolate, which soon turned into a purely humanitarian activity. Because he was too busy, he found less time for prayer. Though he continued to celebrate mass, he neglected his meditation, Rosary, Confession and Holy Hours.
Soon, he began to drink. When wine no longer satisfied him, he was driven to sexual fantacies. But he was well known as a priest, so he could not be in sexual relationship with a women. He thought he should release his sexual urges either alone or with the children in the orphanage.
One victim followed another. It all become so obvious that the New York Times exposed his sexual abuses and accused him of pedophilia. His donors were shocked, the staff was appalled forcing the hierarchy to remove him from the orphanage he had supported for forty years. Truly, without Chastity, all good works come to an end.
Yet the opposite is also true. St. John Bosco established many orphanages- more than this priest in New York ever did. The big difference is Don Bosco remained chaste and holy. His life was a life of intense prayer. He would meditate from 1:00 am to 5:00 am daily; heard confession ten hours a day; celebrated Mass with great reverence as if each Mass was his last; and he would pray at least three Rosaries everyday and the Stations of the Cross. His chastity and sanctity brought many orphans to love God and the Virgin Mary. It was no surprise then that saints were nurtured in his orphanages. Even Virgin Mary would physically visit some of them. Don Boscos work has brought the Church many young saints such as St. Dominic Savio, Blessed Laura Vicuna, and hundreds of others.
"True imitation of Jesus Christ is to remain chaste, poor and obedient. Moreover the problem of unchastity among clerics cannot be solved by simply allowing priests to marry. St. Paul tells us in Corinthians 7:14, that there are those who are called to be virgins. Let them who can remain virgins remain as such, for it is written (Rev 14:4): " The virgins follow the Lamp wherever He goes" "(Fr. Bing Arellano)
Bensilal Chacko,DE,USA.
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