Humans are not alone
Created in the image of God
They are lost, yearning for love
God loves all of humanity
He is manifest in Jesus the Christ
Who was born to us by the Spirit
He led us to God
Bringing us into communion with him.
But we rejected him and executed him on a cross.
But he did not reject us,
He rosed from the grave, our Lord and Saviour.
He is Jesus, Word and Son of God!
He sends his Spirit
He unites us in his bride the church
Now all of creation sings
"Blessed is the Lamb which taketh away the sin of the world!"
God who was in Christ Jesus, reconciled us to himself, forgiving us of our sins, imparting his Spirit to us, and bringing us to redemption.
Through faith, we are saved.
Through the Spirit, we meet Christ.
Through Christ, we meet the Father.
Through Christ, With Christ, and In Christ
All power is yours, Holy Father
In the unity of the Spirit, forever, Amen.
Both Old and New Testaments are inspired by God. They are a collection of several books by human men who captured and experienced the love of God differently. They contain poetry, history, anedotal stories, and laws. The Scriptures themselves are a living sacrament, given to us to discover the God of love and power, who created us, who raised his Son from the dead, and who still lives!
The Scriptures are spoken by the God of our hearts and our minds. We as fallible human beings, must attempt to discover the truth revealed in the Bible using our historical scholarship, tradition, and our individual consciences.
God calls us to be in the church. Here we study the Scriptures, partake in the Sacraments, and await the awesome power of the Spirit. The Church is led by elders who lead the universal priesthood of the faith.
Let me start by saying that I am not a Catholic nor am I one who is inclined to be a Catholic "conservative" since I disagree with the church on such things as papal supremacy and its positions on homosexuality and abortion.
Nevertheless, one must analyze the pedophila scandal and ensure that ultimately we are loyal to the cause of Christ in the end.
1) Victims
The church should establish a comprehensive and authoritative policy to deal with pedophile priests. If a priest is suspected of such criminal actions, the church should suspend him and hand him over to the secular authorities. The church at its foremost should stand up for the children over the accused, even if it loses priests in the process. A one strike policy is essential to make sure that such people can be caught and be made sure to never use the house of Christ as a place of abuse.
2) Prevention
The harder question is the issue of prevention. I'm sure all good people would agree that tougher screening for applicants including criminal background checks should be the key. However the debate over priests in pedophila have reopened the debate over celibacy.
I am appealing to both sides of the church that when it formulates and discusses the question of celibacy and homosexuality in the priesthood, that it not use the tragedy of child abuse to each advantage. To use something as horrendous as child abuse to further the political goals of each side is a sin itself.
Loving Father
I pray that the church seeks your wisdom. In the name of the Kingdom of our Father, His eternal Son, and His Holy Spirit, Amen.