Rape in the Church

[anglomedved]

Last night’s speaker (see my yesterday’s post) said that ‘I do not think that society does not want to be Christian’.  

I have heard this many times in Catholic circles over the past years.  In simple language: I would be a Christian if the Church did not act in certain ways, which I find unacceptable.

Obviously this can be an excuse, to which the answer is: join the Protestants.

 But yes, though the Orthodox and the Catholic right will hate me for saying so, I am prepared to accept that certain outer aspects of the Church's life and practice are genuinely morally unacceptable to many people. And not simply because their own judgement or conscience have been distorted by sin…

Right now the single biggest accusation against the Church is rape. Not just in the narrow sense of priests misbehaving with young boys and girls and pretty seminarians, even though it is this that is hitting the headlines.

But there is another rape, in the broader sense of violation of a certain space in people's private lives - call it conscience, the intimate sphere or what you will – in particular demanding that they submit their conscience to outside diktat. Christ knocks at the door (Apocalypse 3.20) and courteously and respectfully and very patiently leaves it for me to open. Many in the Church either want to force it open, or to refuse me the right to hold the key to my own inner space.

 

Rape leaves pain which lasts a lifetime. It also leaves distrust, immaturity and under-performance.  All of which I see too much of. The Christian call is to full maturity (Ephesians 4.13), not this.