Pope Benedict XVI says the Church’s child abuse scandal shows that the greatest threat to Catholicism comes from “sin within” the Church.
Today we see in a truly terrifying way that the greatest persecution of the Church does not come from outside enemies, but is born of sin within the Church. . . — Pope Benedict XVI
We have needed this type of statement from a Church leader for a long time. No, I do not mean just a Roman Catholic leader talking about the sex abuse scandal. The Pope’s comment is much more profound than just the sex abuse scandal. More than one newspaper has commented that the Pope’s statement actually goes somewhat against what his own supporters were saying. His own supporters were finding ways to support the Pope and to somehow partially excuse what had happened before and to blame the media for attacking the Pope. But, Pope Benedict XVI took all blame away from the media and placed it squarely on “sin within” the Church.
This is one of the more profound statements made by a Christian leader in a long long time. You see, all too often we try to place the blame for the Church’s shortcomings outside the Church. Satan has planted evil people within us, we say. It is those liberals, we say. It is bad theology, we say. If we are Orthodox we say that it is Saint Augustine’s fault. It is the West that has taken the Church to the wrong place. Of course, in saying that we tend to carefully avoid the reason why “Byzantine politics” has become a byword for convoluted and multi-layered planning whose purpose is to destroy one’s opponent. In fact, the phrase “Byzantine politics” and “Machiavellian politics” are considered to be equivalent to each other. We even try the excuse, be we Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Protestant, that those who are causing the problem are not really and truly part of the Church.
But, finally, a Christian leader has told the straight and honest truth. Our persecution is “born of sin within the Church.” When a prosecutor takes a pastor to court, it is all too often the result of sin. When a judge must rule on a property dispute, it is all too often the result of sin. We love to cite articles about a weird board from Canada or England or the USA that “denies” us one of our supposed “freedoms.” But, if we are honest, we will admit that too much of the bad attitude that Christians face is the result of sin within the Church. If we are disliked, it is all too often not because of Satan or because we are preaching the Gospel, but because of our own sin. As Pope Benedict is saying, the Roman Catholic Church is not in pain because of persecution but because of sin within. The reason armies of lawyers are descending upon her is because of sin within. The reason that an opening has been made for “liberals” to dance is because of sin within.
And that is what we, too, must acknowledge. Much of what is being claimed of as persecution in this country is because of sin within. Our greatest threat is not from persecution, from martyrdom, from torture, from exclusion, or from secularism. Our greatest threat is from sin within.
Thank you Pope Benedict XVI.
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