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Alice is on vacation this week. Doug Lawrence is “sitting in”.
Fred W. Asks: The Catholic Church claims to be the one, true church, founded by Jesus Christ, infallibly guided by the Holy Spirit. In light of the history of almost constant Catholic church corruption, especially the recent, widespread child abuse scandal, why should anyone believe that to be true?
Doug Lawrence Responds: This is a very timely question, reflecting a quite normal level of concern and dismay, not only for Catholics, but also the public, at large.
First, the good news: Jesus Christ did indeed personally found the Catholic Church. He did it very shortly after his resurrection, while he still walked the earth, in his glorified and risen body, after all power and authority had been given to him, on earth and in heaven.
Jesus endowed his universal (Catholic) Church with much of that same power and authority, for the purpose of our salvation.
Jesus never founded any other church, and he never authorized or empowered any other person or group.
So … like it or not … we’re “stuck” with the Catholic Church, until the end of time.
We also know that Jesus had originally chosen twelve apostles, trained twelve and blessed twelve … yet he somehow ended up with only eleven.
One of them … Judas … turned out to be a “devil”. Judas accomplished most of his dirty deeds in secret, and so have our present day, abusive clergy!
If Jesus Christ, who is God, found it expedient to accept a rate of attrition/failure that’s slightly more than 8 percent, should anyone … even his church … practically expect to do much better?
Studies point to an actual abuse rate of much less than half the 8 percent “Judas factor”. This is not to make light of the matter of clergy abuse … or any type of sinful behavior. It is simply looking at the world as it really is … a corrupt system of things that even God has (so far) not seen fit to fully restore.
Of course, those who so loudly proclaimed the “New Pentecost” of Vatican II … and who subsequently tore down virtually everything the Catholic Church had spent the last 1900 years building up … also share much of the blame, since that ridiculous attitude left the Church with virtually no defense against the liberal/modernist onslaught and all the grievous errors that sprung from it.
Such is the price of revolution, even for the Catholic Church.
Yet despite all the human corruption and malfeasance, including all the recent, post-Vatican II anomalies … the Catholic Church has done a miraculous job of preserving the authentic dogmas of the Christian faith, and it remains always available to celebrate the Mass and dispense the sacraments, in order to help sanctify the People of God, according to his grace.
Rather than attempting to make excuses … or even fix blame … the best thing any Catholic can do is learn the authentic Catholic faith … so that no lay person, teacher, politician, deacon, priest, bishop or pope … can ever again hope to get away with betraying Jesus Christ, his Church, or the faithful.
For that, a personal course of regular prayer and study, coupled with full, faithful participation in all of the work, worship, sacraments and devotions of the Catholic Church is highly recommended.
There is no better way to keep the Catholic Church … and one’s own eternal soul … in good order!
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July 21, 2011
Categories: Ask Alice, Books & Publications, Catholic Q & A, Events, history, Inspirational, Politics . Tags: Catholic-Church, devotions, god, Jesus Christ, prayer, sacraments, scandal, sin, study, work, worship . Author: Doug Lawrence . Comments: 2 Comments