February 16, 2003

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
At the Pastoral Staff meeting this past Monday, staff members discussed the cover page story of Newsday, February 10th, the headline of which read, "Church failed abuse victims and can't be trusted". It was the unanimous decision of those present that we address this issue in some way this weekend, so that you would know that not only are we aware of the feelings of betrayal, pain, anger, distrust, disillusionment, heartbreak and sorrow, that you are experiencing, but that we share those very same feelings with you.
As we discussed the 'what' and the 'how' to communicate this to you, I felt torn, because it is so easy to fall into the trap of "us" against "them" and "they". To be sure, we need to make distinctions; between allegations of guilt and true guilt, between sickness and deliberate malicious intent. The guilty need to repent and seek forgiveness, the sick need to acknowledge their illness and seek healing, crime needs to be punished, and the rest of "us" must be compassionate in pursuing justice, patient and tenderly loving, especially to those who have been victimized and need healing, and most of all, we must be persons of strict integrity and completely trustworthy.
Among "them" are those guilty of sexual abuse and betrayal of trust. "They" are those who deliberately covered up the scandal when they had the responsibility to expose it, they failed to protect the innocent, silenced the victims and lied to "us". Among "us" we place all the rest, you and me, the victims, their families, the powerless, the innocent, the outraged, the betrayed, all who feel lied to and used. But we are one Body, the Body of Christ!
I mourn for the Church, and maybe for myself, because the Church I love is so battered. The tragedies of scandal, narrow minded vision, factions, abuse of power, clerical privilege, arrogance, dishonesty, hypocrisy and all the other faults we can name, have scarred, blurred and distorted the image of Christ, much the same way that the beating and scourging, dirt and spit distorted the physical body of Jesus during his passion and death. Those who looked upon that pitiable sight over two thousand years ago, must have been hard pressed to believe that the person before them was the Christ, the incarnate Word of God. So, many who look upon the Catholic Church today, find it difficult to see in it the Spirit of God. However, with the eyes of faith, one can see beyond appearances. Look with the eyes of faith!

The Church as "institution", albeit founded by Christ, is only one model of Church. This model has served the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church well over the centuries, making it clear that the Church must be a structured community, faithful to the community instituted by Christ, including a pastoral office, equipped with authority to preside over the worship of the community as such, to prescribe tolerable limits of dissent and to represent the community in an official way. The institution has also crushed many of its members who called for its reform over the centuries. Which is why it is so necessary to recall what Avery Cardinal Dulles wrote in his book, Models of the Church, " institutions are subordinate to persons, structures subordinate to life."
I believe that the Church is servant, even as Jesus, who claimed he came "not to be served, but to serve"; I believe the Church is disciple, "for One is our teacher, the Christ"; I also believe the Church is Holy, not because the pope or the bishops or the clergy or the faithful are holy, but because the Spirit of God lives in this Church. This Church has its saints, but it is a church for sinners, and I firmly believe in the promise of Christ, that the "gates of hell will not prevail against the Church."

It is highly possible that the institution will have to be brought to its knees before purification and
healing can begin. As Gamaliel, a Pharisee mentioned in the Acts of the Apostle, sagely advised when the Sanhedrin tried to stifle the witness of the first Christians, "if this endeavor is from human origin, it will destroy itself, but if it is from God, you will not be able to destroy them; you may find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5:38,39). Considering its checkered history, if the Catholic Church were in fact, only a human invention, it would have destroyed itself centuries ago. I believe that in all this turmoil, God's Spirit is at work. Now though brokenhearted and embarrassed, though frustrated and angry, though grossly disappointed, in pain and deeply sorrowful, I know that with God, all things are possible, and without God nothing good is possible. I don't know how, or when but I believe that the Church will once again be reformed to become stronger, more vibrant, and more clearly seen as the spotless Bride of Christ. I want to
be a part of that because I confidently stake my life on the awesome promise of Christ Jesus, to be
with us all days, even until the end of time. (Matthew 28:20)

To paraphrase St. Augustine, for you I am priest and pastor, with you I am a Christian. Together may we, as sisters and brothers ' continue to choose to be Church, and to proclaim to all the world by the way we live, that "we are One Body, one Body in Christ, and we do not stand alone, and He came that we might have life."

Your brother in Christ,
Fr. Tom
Rev. Msgr. Thomas L. Spadaro
Pastor