As the Conference of Bishops commences at Vatican for considering changes with far reaching consequences , today's newspapers carried an important news . Pope has issued a non specific apology ,which the press has interpreted as an apology to the victims and families of child abuse by Catholic clergy.During his visit to US and Cuba , Pope tried to defend the child abuse by endorsing the efforts by Bishops to contain the aberration . Faced with severe criticism by support groups of scandal victims and from general public,he retracted from his earlier position by amending the statement by praising the efforts of some Bishops who took exemplary action against the accused priests . However , he forgot or concealed the fact that some Bishops themselves were guilty of the crime against which some other Bishops won commendation from the Pope !!!
That the Catholic Church globally is a divided house is no secret . Events leading to the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI , a hardcore traditionalist and elevation of Pope Francis a liberal to the core was only a partial revelation of the division . In fact it was a turning point of the division.The ongoing conference of Bishops in Vatican to discuss family issues is heading to a hardening of stances by the traditionalists and liberals.
It is certainly not easy for the conference of Bishops to take a categorical stand on two major issues-handling of divorced laymen who remarry without the approval of Church and the child abuse issue . Celibate priests and nuns have been a great source of strength for Catholic Church . Apart from a totally dedicated workforce who are able utilise their entire resources -time, faculties ,money et all-,their total dedication to Church without having to think for their families have provided the Church a lot of strength . But however ,not all of them were celibates in the real sense at any time . In the middle ages there were popes with more than one child of their flesh and blood . Priests and Bishops have also fallen pray to the temptations of Cupid.
What has made the situation serious at present is the media exposure of such activities and the victims coming foreword with revelations . Catholic Church which is facing serious decline in the western world suffered heavy blows due to the recent united action by families of victims.
Divorce has been a social reality in the west and other semi westernised African countries.Asia and other regions are fast catching up .Catholic Church has their own tribunals in each Diocese to examine cases where the couples want to separate . But the procedure in such courts take a lot of time to complete the process .This has resulted in the couples in a hurry to come out of the bond of marriage to go the civil courts and get a divorce decree.But church insists that since Holy Matrimony is a sacrament , only the Church has the authority to annul it . Those persons who manages to get their marriage annulled by Civil Courts,remarry and that in the Church lexicon becomes an illegal relationship . Such persons get expelled from Church . Loss of a few people was considered to be affordable as a price for maintaining discipline in earlier days , but today,with such divorcees on the increase and loss of followers in large numbers on the other side, the "price"for maintaining discipline has become unaffordable.So the Church is considering ways and means to make the procedure simpler and faster .
Approach to Gay marriages is another issue tormenting the Church . Some Bishops including one Bishop in Vatican have either confessed being a Gay or at least facing allegations of being one , the church is at crossroads on this issue too.The conservatives and liberals are bound to take diametrically opposing stances.
This could well be a turning point in the History of Catholic Church.
That the Catholic Church globally is a divided house is no secret . Events leading to the abdication of Pope Benedict XVI , a hardcore traditionalist and elevation of Pope Francis a liberal to the core was only a partial revelation of the division . In fact it was a turning point of the division.The ongoing conference of Bishops in Vatican to discuss family issues is heading to a hardening of stances by the traditionalists and liberals.
It is certainly not easy for the conference of Bishops to take a categorical stand on two major issues-handling of divorced laymen who remarry without the approval of Church and the child abuse issue . Celibate priests and nuns have been a great source of strength for Catholic Church . Apart from a totally dedicated workforce who are able utilise their entire resources -time, faculties ,money et all-,their total dedication to Church without having to think for their families have provided the Church a lot of strength . But however ,not all of them were celibates in the real sense at any time . In the middle ages there were popes with more than one child of their flesh and blood . Priests and Bishops have also fallen pray to the temptations of Cupid.
What has made the situation serious at present is the media exposure of such activities and the victims coming foreword with revelations . Catholic Church which is facing serious decline in the western world suffered heavy blows due to the recent united action by families of victims.
Divorce has been a social reality in the west and other semi westernised African countries.Asia and other regions are fast catching up .Catholic Church has their own tribunals in each Diocese to examine cases where the couples want to separate . But the procedure in such courts take a lot of time to complete the process .This has resulted in the couples in a hurry to come out of the bond of marriage to go the civil courts and get a divorce decree.But church insists that since Holy Matrimony is a sacrament , only the Church has the authority to annul it . Those persons who manages to get their marriage annulled by Civil Courts,remarry and that in the Church lexicon becomes an illegal relationship . Such persons get expelled from Church . Loss of a few people was considered to be affordable as a price for maintaining discipline in earlier days , but today,with such divorcees on the increase and loss of followers in large numbers on the other side, the "price"for maintaining discipline has become unaffordable.So the Church is considering ways and means to make the procedure simpler and faster .
Approach to Gay marriages is another issue tormenting the Church . Some Bishops including one Bishop in Vatican have either confessed being a Gay or at least facing allegations of being one , the church is at crossroads on this issue too.The conservatives and liberals are bound to take diametrically opposing stances.
This could well be a turning point in the History of Catholic Church.
