Quite appropriate referring to the sad events relating to sexual misconduct as "scandal". It has been treated as a "scandal". But "scandals", due to its very nature, are not advisable to be taken as ground platform upon which setting the basis for a weighted, serene analysis, united in charity with Our Good Sheperd and hope put in the Holy Ghost’s action among us.

I somehow feel, with deep sadness, that to some extent our bishops were submitted to unnatural stress, and their deliberations affected by the way the "scandal" was treated by the media and grasped by the Nation.

The ways of God differ from the ways of the world. Accepting the ways of the world as starting point, will seldom be a promising perspective from which explore God’s will and message.

What a beautiful present for all worldly inspired organizations: Sexual sinful practices by priests. And considering we are entitled to expect utmost sanctity among our clergy. Right? WRONG!

We are not entilted at all to expect our priests being saints just like that, as if an obligation from God, or, inour positivist civilization, from the Church.

We have the obligation to PRAY for our shepperds so they may resemble the Good Shepperd as much as possible. We are the ones who have to pray for the Holy Father keeping aligned with Christ.

Let us paraphrase the now famous words uttered by the first Catholic to become President of this Nation: American Catholics, do not keep asking yourselves what the Church may do for you, but rather what it is in you to do for the Church.

Anecdotes and aleatory events are not a healthy basis to discuss religious matters. That is rather the protestant approach, who have ignored the legitimacy of an organized Church as Mystical Body of Christ. It is quite ironical, but a strictly Catholic controversy has been examined from a much more protestant than Catholic point of view.

Any of you is lying in his deathbed and, oh my!, the only, say, priest nearby is a freshly condemned sex offender. Confess your sind to him and bless God’s mercy, brother, for it is not the priest but Christ Himself who will forgive your sins! That is the Mercy of God upon us.

Can you believe I have been taken Holy Communion for more than twenty years from the hands of that miserable? Does that alter even minimally the power of Christ’s Body and Blood?

Our Lord must had been seeing all this human created mayhem when His anguish exploded in that "Oh Father, why Have You forsaken me?".

By acting the way many communities have acted. For having privileged non Catholic third parties opinions, we have contributed to render Christ Passion useless and void of worth.

Were all the offended absolutely innocent individuals incapable of sinning? Were all offenses absolutely unilateral actions due to which those offended were subdued to the point of annulling their free will?

Were the families of those offended actual shrines of Christian values? Would it be unconceivable that, at least in some cases, the victims might have been projecting a family shared sinful spiritual attitude?

Are we all so permeated by the ways of the world, this world in which we are immersed, that we look upon the civil suits against whichever diocesis as something quite natural and legitimate to do?

What do those suits mean? Might it be interpreted that, whatever the amount agreed upon, the offended party and her/his family take it as just compensation for the moral damage, and case closed? For, should that be effectively the case, wouldn’t it open the door to speculating that, should be any potential offender sufficiently rich, she or he might approach the desired victim’s family and offer them in advance a comparable sum of money so that their boy or girl would be handed to be raped by the offender?

Does the last paragraph shock you? Do I look as insensitive? Please, accept my apologies but, nevertheless, do answer my question FROM A ROMAN CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE: What are suitors trying to resolve by asking for substantive monetary indemnizations? I am not asking what calvinists, episcopalians, mormons or you name it would think. I am interested in knowing what CATHOLIC FAMILIES OR INDIVIDUALS understand they are doing. Is it possible, as Catholics, reach a formula establishing the monetary value of sinning?

From the very beginnings of Humanity, shouting against the sinner and claiming for the most extreme punishments have been usual ways by which making the community to acknowledge the virtues of the agitator. And yes, agitators, for shouting and high decibel denouncing have never, ever, been legitimate methods of expressing anything whithin God’s own.

But OK, after the shouting, and perhaps even pondering several offers to write down such tragic experiences, a suit is substantiated by virtue of which a perfect society, as the State, is authorized to mess with internal affairs of other perfect society as the Church; a monetary amount is agreed upon as compensation and the victim’s family accepts that as the conclusion of their collision with the Church. What happens with the victim? Hasn’t she/he sinned? Hasn’t the victim no other pending things with respect to the Church? Isn’t the Church entitled to listen to the offended’s confession?

To whom may the offended go and say: I have sinned against God and against you?

From the beginning of time it was the local assembly, the local church, the body to which it was natural to confess and from which getting the prescription for penitence. Are our offenders exempt of such action? Will they forever stand up as successful contenders against the Church, not morally called to reciprocate?

The latter is not my business? Is it not in me to think about all these things? Are you suggesting that, should God ask me what did I do with respect to any of the victims, my correct answer should be: "Mind your own business, oh dear Lord! Am I, perhaps, the guardian of any of those?" Cain has kept dwelling with us all, all the time, sisters and brothers. Are we so sure that the reactions provided through the media do not have any significant cainite context?

Law has nothing to do with sin. God’s grace, and our behavior, and our prayers have all to do with sin.

And then, what are the custodians of the Church in America trying to achieve when defining legal type courses of action? Are they afraid to collect much less money than before? Do they measure the importance of the Catholic Church in terms of "constituency". Are they worried by the proability of any given family loosing their faith if not adequately compensated? The danger of starting to act like the Church of Loadicea must be averted.

As for His Eminence Cardinal Law, let us all pray for him with all our strength. God must love him very much for having subjected him to such overwhelming spiritual sufferings. Cardinal Law lived some time of his life in Palm Sunday. He has now reached the days of passion. Terrible days. In no few occasions anguish will lead him up to the point of yelling: "Of Father, why have you forsaken me!", because he will have to endure, just like Christ did, rations of that excruciatingly painful "silence of God".

Cardinal Law has not ceased to be a problem for us since his resignation. For Catholics it’;s all the way around. It is since his resignation that he has become "our problem", for it will be through our loving and faithful prayers that we may get him through his ordeal. His resignation was necessary to render him unprotected and naked just like Christ was when confronting the hatred of so many.

Have you ever imagined how terrible must it be for a pastor, for a bishop, hearing in his trial God saying: "My son, why is it that none of yours have prayed for you?".

The above does not only apply to Cardinal Law. It applies to each and every of the offenders, and to each and every of those offended as well. Their future gravitates on our backs. It’s our prayers what will make it possible for them to end their journey without surrendering their souls.

Heavy task, indeed. O yes, it is. The price of sin happens to be quite inflationary, you know? And please bear in mind that the Cathiolic Church is built upon "communion". The Communion of the Saints represents the big leagues to where all of us expect to get sometime. But the communion of us all, militants, with clergy and Pope, is also essential for ourselves.

See how hard it is to define the real problem we are getting through?