The Youngstown Diocese List

By Mark G. Mangie. Midst all of the political falderal this past week, this story was hardly discussed. The "List" of local Catholic priests with pedophile issues was a stunner and disturbing. 

The population of Mahoning County has been historically overwhelmingly Catholic. Me too. I was raised Catholic, attended a Catholic school for 2 years, and CCD classes through high school. There are lots of jokes about going to Catholic school and the rules and regulations surrounding being a Catholic. Over my lifetime mortal sins evolved into venial sins then into no sins at all, depending on the circumstances. When I was 22 I decided it wasn't for me. I joined the Episcopal Church which was more in line with my personal belief system. 

All of my ministers have told me...there is no such thing as a lapsed Catholic. The religion becomes part of your core. A Lutheran minister told me that as lapsed Catholics get older, they revert to their core beliefs. As he counseled those with end of life issues, he would recite Catholic prayers with them, say the Rosary, do confession, and give the last rites. He also said the best Protestants were lapsed Catholics. They showed up every Sunday. 

I know two of the priests on the "list". Many of my friends knew many more, having interactions with them throughout their lives beginning in grade school. One of the priests was a good friend. He gave my wife and I the then required pre-marriage counseling and helped me out personally on more than one of occasion. He also was a member of a group of friends that have regularly gotten together socially for over 40 years. That's a tough one. How does one process that? 

That seems to be the reaction of many of my Catholic friends who mention the dilemma quietly but are having difficulty in processing, then categorizing, this very disturbing list of individuals. At some point in time disbelief will turn to sadness then anger. The question is whether it will shake their confidence in Catholicism at a more visceral level, perhaps rejecting Catholicism totally. I hope not. There is no excuse for what these "men of God" did. There is even less excuse for the Catholic Church allowing them to continue doing it. 

As for me...the priest with whom I have had a long term relationship is very old. I am sure this is not how he wanted to be remembered as he approaches the end of his life. I suppose the approach should be to forgive the sinner but not the sin. That's what I am going to do. Others may be in a different place and arrive at a different conclusion. The Catholic Church has some serious explaining to do. 

For those left to grapple with the problem on a personal level, we must remember that all humans are sinners and we have all fallen from grace at one time or another. Given the Statutes of Limitation have run their course on the associated crimes, there will be no legal resolution which makes things worse. 

That being said, as a lapsed Catholic, I can personally attest to the words of my minister friends. There is no such thing as a lapsed Catholic. Catholicism is part of our DNA notwithstanding what church you end up in, if any. You carry it with you whether you like it or not, for better or worse. The "church" is not God. It is a pathway to Him that has been provided to us, run by men and women subject to all the frailties that come with being human. Keep your eye on the bigger picture, and all will be fine.