A view through the eyes of one who is watching…

I am a Catholic, so this criticism is not without some thought, but it never ceases to amaze me how cold the Church can be at times to its victims. Cardinal Pell’s media conference today smacked of a victory speech, as though somehow, today’s secret event clears the Church of wrong-doing or neglect.  Having seen his news conferences on the Sky Channel in my morning coffee break and lunch hour, I have observed his whole demeanour in the unravelling of this story in the lead up to WYD as one of being inconvenienced by trivial matters.

Today’s media announcement was a very shallow act, a stunt designed to clear the air, and I only hope the four “hand-picked” victims got some healing out of the process.

Having watched the 7.30 Report and Lateline this week, I heard the story of Anthony Foster and felt quite sad for his family. His reaction today is not unjustified, having suffered the loss of one daughter earlier in the year to suicide, and the other daughter with severe disability after being hit by a car.

He feels the Church has not treated its victims with care or compassion, and I would have to say he is correct.

It seems of late, the Church does neglect the marginalised of society. More recently I was horrified to hear the Church deny a paraplegic couple marriage because the groom was impotent, and thus unable to complete the sexual act which is central to the sacrament of marriage. Infertile couples are not denied marriage, even though their marriage would be unproductive. It seems we are really getting so tied up in rules and regulations in a manner not so dissimilar to the Pharisees in Jesus’ time.

In the last few days, I also heard Cardinal Pell making a statement that the western world is not reproducing enough. That view is irresponsible, especially in light of the shortages the whole world is facing due to drought and climate change. The former Federal Government’s irresponsible spending spree, slapping couples faces with money to have babies is likewise in the same vein. How many babies were born, not because they were genuinely wanted, but because they paid for a new Plasma TV?

I have gone a bit off topic here with this rant. I will stop here. But I hope and pray that the Church will change the way it deals with the minorities in the world: the abused, the downtrodden, the marginalised and the lonely.