Where is God? Where was God during the 70 years that 1,000+ catholic children were abused by 300 priests in Pennsylvania? No one protected those children.
What can you do? What can all of us do? Let’s do more than just acknowledge the problem. That is a start however.
August 14 2018 this was published
Pope Francis August 20 2018 speaks  strongly:  we must acknowledge the truth and take on the pain. … and fight all forms of corruption he said.   Pope Francis calls for prayer and fasting.  And he calls that we all fight clericalism. What ever that means.   Read Pope Francis’s words.
What;s the response? So what did the local catholic priest have to say last Sunday?
In Aptos, CA the the homily Sunday August 19 2018  was on the meaning of the Eucharist.  What was said in that homily 8/19/18:
Come to church to receive the true Body and Blood of Christ.  God is truly present in the Body and Blood of the Eucharist — those words summarize the sermon preached Sunday, August 19, 2018  at Resurrection Catholic community.
The priest emphasized, You need to come once a week to receive the true Body and Blood of Christ.
What was the response? About  1/3 took the Cup. Almost all present came up and received the Bread. About 5-7 children were present at this 6 pm Sunday service. About 200 + persons were present (a guess).
Not taking the Cup more often than not — that is the norm in this catholic church.
Aptos Psychologist: Yes priests prepare sermons ahead of time. OK so this evening the priest spends the entire 10 minutes on the Catholic understanding of the Eucharist — that God is truly present in Body and Blood.
And the TakeAway from the sermon is that only the “real” stuff — the actual presence of God — is there during the Mass. So do get to church at least once a week.
A church service – whether catholic or episcopal or other — has numerous opportunities for prayers for forgiveness and recognition of issues the church needs to face.
The issue of abuse of 1000 children by 300 priests in Pennsylvania has been in the news all week.
Not to say anything — during Prayers of the People, during Announcements and other times — is to fail to recognize the truth and fail to take on the pain that those children and their families experienced.
Yes — acknowledge the problem. That’s a start.
