by Paulist Father James DiLuzio

The perennial question “How can we still believe in God with all the sin and evil in evidence in the world?” Comes in many forms and in many particular contexts, all interrelated. The question is often phrased specifically in terms of the sins of Christians as sufficient reason to abandon faith. To me as a Catholic priest, the question is contextualized in whether or not the Catholic Church can be an authentic way to God because of the continual exposing of its sins of child abuse and the removal of the statutes of limitations that bring the egregious sins of the past ever mindful to the present. There is no perfect answer, but this is the best I can do:

“Faith requires us to always look beyond the realities of sin and evil to a much bigger picture. Catholic priests’ sins and sicknesses are worth crying over and indeed a deep wound. Most are now dead, and others have been expelled from the priesthood. Victims have been offered counseling and monetary recompense, inadequate though that may be because of the depth of the betrayal. The “bigger picture” invites us to acknowledge the vastness of sin in every aspect of life and be open to look to those who offer positive witness to hope, humility, and kindness. The Cross of Jesus will always expose sin as it did 2,000 years ago, and faith in Christ invites us to be part of healing its wounds especially when we are tempted to run away as the Apostles ran in horror and disgust only to return because there was nowhere else to turn to live in Hope except in Resurrection. In a strange paradoxical way, failures and sin can motivate greater attention to God and our need for a Church as they can for condemnation of faith. Perhaps staying within a wounded institution helps strengthen our attention to God and all the world” ‘s needs for transformation, healing, and spiritual growth. Some find comfort in other denominations, others in different faith options or humanistic philosophies. Each of us must decide what path we can take or tolerate that helps us hold on to hope and love. Where do we find a place, a people, an institution that will accept us with our own failings and mistakes without denying us encouragement to enhance our better selves and inviting us to a deeper relationship with a merciful God?”