Silence doesn’t always mean guilt. People can choose to stay silent amidst accusations hurled at them for a variety of reasons.
There may be no truth to the accusations. The accusations may be so ridiculous, they are not worthy of a reply. Or the accusations may be indefensible that to try to defend them with lies would only make matters worse.
When you are accused of something small, petty and untrue — you let it go. But when you are falsely accused of something huge and consequential, you don’t stay quiet. You set the record straight.
Even the guilty can find the gall to vociferously defend themselves, claiming complete innocence, when nothing could be further from the truth. But there are the rare few who, when faced with their guilt, admit to their wrongdoing and apologize for it.
But some misdeeds are more monstrous than others.
No one is without sin. Not even the members of the clergy. Like everyone else, they can falter and fail. While we do hold them to higher standards because they are our spiritual leaders, we don’t expect infallibility from them. What we do expect is accountability.
When the Church conceals the wrongdoings of a clergy member. When it transfers an errant priest to another parish or banishes him to some far-off island. When it allows a priest to escape prosecution when he commits a crime, obviously it is wrong. But, at least, I understand where they’re coming from.
By all means, the sins and scandals of the clergy must stay hidden for they pose a threat to the Catholic Church as an institution.
What shocks me is when some members of the Catholic community leap to the defense of a guilty priest, when they turn a blind eye to his wrongdoings, when they seek excuses for his sins. No one should have a halo on his head. No one should be exempt from accountability. No one should be above God.
I have, myself, been sternly told to leave the Church alone by a relative when I raised an issue within the Church. When has asking for clarity become a contemptible act? And yet, in the interest of peace, I shut up.
But I have not lost my mind, yet. I still know it is wrong to cloak members of the clergy, with immunity from inquiry, investigation and accountability.
But this is what pains me and fuels my disillusionment about religion. When you have been brainwashed to believe that you cannot question the leadership of the community you belong to then you know you are in a cult, not a community.
Why is it still anathema for a Catholic to question impropriety, hypocrisy, corruption or abuse within the Catholic Church? Why must those who find the courage to question be subject to censure and condemnation from the community?
Silence is a response but it’s a response that communicates a message the Catholic Church may not want the faithful to receive.
Because to choose silence is to choose cowardice. To choose silence is to admit guilt, without apology, remorse or accountability. To choose silence is to break faith, abandon Christ and betray the flock.
This is not what God calls us to do.
To bring to light wrongdoings committed by the clergy is not disloyalty to God. To put blinders on is disloyalty to the faith. When you conceal wrongdoing, you protect a person but you betray the Church.
If the Catholic Church wants to reform itself, it should do something radical. It should abandon pride, take accountability for its actions and practice what it preaches.
The truth can be hideous but if we are secure in our faith, we will find the courage to face it.
Silence doesn’t always mean guilt. But in this case, the message is resounding.