Some priest abuse advocates miss the point

Here is a good Aussie article wrapping up the final day of the Pope's Australian visit. It includes news that the Pope met with and celebrated Mass with four priest abuse victims. It also has the surprise and excellent news that Mr. Rudd has appointed an Australian ambassador to the Vatican.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24057138-662,00.html

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OK, some people are not going to want to hear it, but it is the truth and they can't ignore it.

Groups of priest abuse victims and their families are expressing very tasteless and frankly, erroneous, criticism of the Pontiff's meeting with four victims of priest sexual abuse, and not doing something "large scale" and more of a "venting and problem solving session."

While I have enormous sympathy for the abuse victims (and yes, I have my *street credibility card* of having been abused, though not by priests, so don't tell me I "don't understand"), and I have blogged spiritual direction and practical sympathy about this situation, I am astonished with disappointment by the mean spiritedness of certain very public advocates of the victims.

I can understand that the experience has derailed some people's ability to understand religion and faith in God itself. I do understand that. But I don't think THESE people realize themselves that they are derailed from understanding the continuation of normal faith in God and the religion. We can't cancel Masses all around the world because "people have been hurt." The Pope is not going to stop saying personal Mass each day because "people have been hurt." We are not going to "fire" every cardinal and bishop that made a mistake, even an awful mistake, because "people have been hurt;" this is a church and not a corporation.

The Pope says Mass every day. Every Pope celebrates their own personal Mass at the beginning of each day. There are moving pictures and descriptions of Pope John Paul II doing so, for example. They do it in their private chapels when at home and in the private chapels of Catholic residences when traveling. Some invite household members and special guests. Pope John Paul II, for example, "started his day," so to speak, with his celebration of his daily personal Mass with his household staff.

Pope Benedict XVI had his normal, first thing in the morning private Mass, in Australia, each morning, just as he always does. At the last Mass the morning of his departure he had four selected priest sex abuse victims attend the Mass with him.

I will be a DARNED SON OF A GUN if I sit here and listen to the mean mouthers (and you know who I mean, one person in particular) characterize the Papal private Mass each morning as a political and "media" event that "left out" people who wanted to have their rant and yes, obviously, fact finding and suggestions.

I WILL BE A DARNED SON OF A GUN if I don't point out how ungenerous these critics are at painting four invitees to this precious Mass (that most Catholics would do extreme things in order to be invited and attend... I myself would have loved to have been at one of Pope John Paul II's, but I never was) as some sort of "non complainers" who are now "OK with their sexual abuse problems" (WHAT?) and that this was a media show.

YOU OUGHT TO WASH YOUR MOUTHS OUT WITH SOAP.

To portray the morning daily Mass by the Pope and his inviting four abuse victims as guests as being cynical and manipulative is so outrageous that if this were still a time of dueling I'd slap your face with my glove and use a water pistol with vinegar (you know, a reminder of JESUS CHRIST, you know, JESUS, the guy the Pope serves each day, whether you have other plans for the Pope that day or NOT?????)

Show some class and honor the tragedy of what has happened to your family members and try to regain your dignity and remember that this is still worship of God that continues, not Church, Inc. or Church, Ltd.

You may feel ignored and you may have "great ideas" but if you forget for one second that this is a CHURCH who has the "business" of worshipping God, how good can your reform ideas be? I pray it's not just about the money for certain of you. You rob the people, the victims, who have been grievously harmed of their dignity by your showboating over the grace of invitees to the "regularly scheduled corporate activity of media manipulating"... oh wait, that's right, it's not a media event, it is the MORNING MASS, God's MASS performed by the Pontiff every morning right after he gets out of his jammies.

So I'm sorry, but we are not going to close down the Church because "something bad happened." Something bad happened in the Garden of Eden and God did not shut down humanity, though he had many very good reasons then and now to do so. So suck it up please. I know you are hurting but gosh, when I was abused I didn't expect every "person in that category" and "example of that institution" to shut down or to revolve around me forever and ever, even though I had really darn good ideas about how they need to reform too.