Firm Compassion
Kairos has a compassionate, level-headed, and cogent response to much that has been making the rounds lately.
If Law resigned and were sent to some monastery to live out his days, he would give his testimony, then slip into a van and drive off to New Hampshire, untroubled by telephones and televisions, ignoring all requests for interviews, and sleeping without the need to look for cameras outside his bedroom.
As it now stands, he still preaches public masses, still presides over one of the most prominent Catholic dioceses in the country, and must deal with the daily public scorn of the chattering classes whose attentions he once sought. For a Pope whose principal concern is the redemption of souls, which would have been the better course to take: the institutionally-sound public firing, or the personally-redemptive public agonistes?
His post caused me to think a bit about motivations and meanings behind actions from the Vatican and it occurred to me that part of this whole thing is that they will allow for no easy outs. They denied the zero tolerance policy because it allowed bishops a bureaucratic solution for a problem that requires individual accountability and investigation.
There may be many reasons for an event we do not fully know about. If the pope did turn down Cardinal Law's resignation part of the reason may have been to have in full public force an object lesson in responsibility and accountability. The Pope has never been one for the easy out. He has apologized for things that some have debated the need for an apology for; however, he did the difficult thing and apologized. He appears to be a man who believes heavily in accountability. As Kairos suggested, perhaps part of this is accountability that leads to true repentence/change of heart and true change of behavior in the future. What is the real likelihood that Law will ever allow something like this again? After having been at the center of the largest whirlwind to rush through the church in quite some time, one's attitudes and life probably change significantly.
I'm gladly joining with Kairos in my prayers for Cardinal Law, that he have the strength to deal with the problems before him in a truthful, forthright, and responsibility-taking way, and that God uses this experience to let Cardinal Law know how much he is loved and how important his position and responsibilities are.
Thanks, Kairos, great post.
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