by Carolyn Tytler

Created on: April 11, 2010   Last Updated: April 21, 2010

Spring is the traditional season for cleaning house. This year, the Catholic Church needs to clean house with a vengeance. Like any institution that is  2,000 years old, it has accumulated baggage, most of this in the form of outdated ideas which modern science and current knowledge have proven to be in error.

Pope John XXIII convened  the Second Vatican Council in 1962, to open the windows of the Church and let in some fresh air.  Unfortunately he died before he could complete his agenda.  Perhaps it is time to hold Vatican III.

I am not a theologian, but here are some of the changes I would like to see.

* At one time it was believed that pedophilia was a mental illness which could be cured. Now we know it is not. The perpetrators are very likely to re-offend.  Clergy who are known to be guilty of such heinous acts should immediately be laicized, not to punish them but to protect children. Many Catholic families still are inclined to trust a priest more than they would a male friend or neighbor. In some cases, this has proven to be a tragic mistake.

* Pedophiles must be turned over to law authorities immediately. Not only would this satisfy the requirement of justice, it would serve as a warning to other potential criminals not to seek a career in the Church in the hopes of having their warped sexuality covered up.

* In former days, it was thought that sexual molestation did not do serious damage to children, that they were resilient enough to overcome the temporary period of trauma and move on. Now we know that is untrue. This is a crime which ruins lives. It causes suicides, alcohol and drug abuse, difficulty in forming relationships, and lifelong guilt and anger. All victims should be encouraged to undergo psychiatric treatment at the expense of the Church.

* In the 1960's and 70's many Catholic priests left the Church to marry; they found the vow of celibacy too rigorous to fulfill. They were laicized at the time, that is, they were no longer permitted to function as priests. However, the Church believes that the imprint of Sacrament of Holy Orders on a soul is, like Baptism, permanent.

St. Peter and probably some of the other Apostles were married. Priests of the Eastern Rite are allowed to marry. The Pope has invited disaffected Anglican priests to join the Roman Catholic clergy and bring their wives. Surely we should welcome our own married priests back into the positions for which they have been trained, and where they are so sorely needed. The average age of priests in North America is now over 60 years of age.

*  The current Pope, Benedict XVI is 83 years old. Like most older people, he is set in his ways and finds change difficult. Perhaps he could be encouraged to listen more openly to his colleagues in the College of Cardinals, and to bishops and theologians from around the world.  He should be helped to realize that The Holy Spirit is not confined to speaking to him alone, but  that God speaks through the Bible, through current events, and through the hearts and minds of His people.  A university professor once said, "Christians should teach with a newspaper in one hand and a Bible in the other."

It seemed like excellent advice to me at that time and it still does, but then I am not a theologian.   

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