I HAVE recently been reconciled to the Catholic faith after many years away.
I have spent my years of separation from the Catholic Church involved in various Protestant Churches.
As a Protestant I served as a minister, a missionary, a teacher and other Church leadership positions.
If there is one thing that I love about the Catholic faith it is the importance and emphasis our Church places on the virtues of unconditional love, mercy, forgiveness and justice. In these qualities I believe we reflect the real character of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is sad that our Church has been scandalised by the immoral sexual activities of various Church leaders.
While I believe we must do all we can to minister to the needs of those who have been abused by Church workers, I also believe we should not forget the real needs of those guilty of such abuses.
We should be angry, we should be indignant, we should expect justice. However, as Christians, let us not desire justice without mercy. Let us see that any person, Church worker or otherwise, who has abused another person, is a person still.
We should not understate the gravity of the sin. At the same time, we should never forget the forgiveness and healing our Lord offers to these people. Should we, as God’s children, do any less?
We hear of people constantly hounding and physically and verbally abusing persons convicted of sex crimes. If I am wrong, please correct me. I simply do not see that this is a Christian response.
I do realise this is a very sensitive issue. The last thing I want to do is detract in any way from the sense of pain and injury sustained by any person at the hands of another human being. I do personally pray for their healing.
I simply believe that as Christians, our love and burden of concern must extend also to the guilty party. Let us give them a voice that we may assist them in their healing and, by God’s grace, help them to overcome evil with good.
K. SMALLEY
Kingston, Qld
