A Catholic priest in Spain has been arrested over the alleged possession of thousands of images of child sex abuse. Police said they found 21,000 images on computers inside the 52-year-old’s church in Vilafames, in the east of the country. The priest, who has not been named, has been bailed and will appear before a judge in a fortnight, media say.
In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I’ll once again mention that I’m no fan of the Catholic Church. This will, of course, come as absolutely no surprise to anyone who’s hung ‘round these parts for any appreciable length of time. From where I sit, the Catholic Church is, because of it’s size, power, and historical corruption, perhaps the worst bastardization of Christianity imaginable. The Vatican’s “pull the covers over their head” mentality regarding their ongoing pedophilia scandal makes it hard to miss the truth that what the Catholic Church really stands for is corruption and self-preservation.
This latest incident is, in and of itself, an isolated incident…except that it’s really not. Given what’s come before, and the attention focused on the Church when it comes to sexual issues, you’d think that the Vatican would be seriously addressing the issues presented by this case in an effort to restore the Church’s tattered credibility. The history of sexual deviation within the Catholic Church is so lengthy and pervasive that it would seem incumbent upon the Vatican to set a firm tone. Pope Benedict XVI has a golden opportunity to speak to the faithful and clearly state that the Church will not tolerate sexual deviance within the clergy. Of course, this isn’t the first golden opportunity. Given that the previous ones have been met with silence at worst and half-measures at best…well, it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, does it?
The Catholic clergy is at its most basic a reflection of the fallible humans they minister to. There’s no reason to expect that priests aren’t going to be prone to the same temptations and peccadilloes that mere mortals frequently fall prey to. Priests are human, and subject to human drives and desires. The problem is that priests are forced to exist in a system that denies them sexual expression; the denial of that basic human need is, I believe, at the root of the problems within the Catholic Church. You simply can’t put a cap on one of the most basic human drives and not expect problems to be the result. I can’t help but wonder what purpose continues to be served by the Church’s continued refusal to grant priests the right to appropriate expressions of their sexuality. I’m not saying that priests should be allowed to give free reign to their every carnal urge and desire, but what does complete denial of their sexuality accomplish? And isn’t the current state of affairs an effective argument for change?
Of course, I’m not Catholic, and some of my readers might question my motives. Still, I can’t help but think that the Vatican has a real opportunity here. They could draw a line in the sand and make it clear that they will no longer tolerate sexual abuse of any form within the clergy. They could make it clear that their primary concern is the well-being and safety of Catholics, particularly the young and vulnerable. Instead of taking decisive action, though, the Vatican continues to hem and haw, taking half-measures and talking a good game. Clearly, the Vatican’s primary interest continues to be self-preservation. Same as it ever was.
Jesus called…He wants his religion back….
