MH - Scandal to the Church (Again)

Msgr. Eugene Clark, rector of St. Patrick's Cathedrial in New York City and popular host of programs on EWTN, has resigned his position after being implicated in a sex scandal with his longtime (female) secretary.

Rocco Palmo at Whispers in the Loggia has had extensive coverage of the breaking scandal.

Amy has some very thoughtful comments on what this means for the faith of those both inside and outside the Church.

There's not much to add, as we don't know the full story yet. Just a reminder, however, that we're talking about a perfect Church administered (on earth) by imperfect humans. To those who would let this shake their faith, or those who would ridicule the Catholic Church, I would point out that any scandal in the Church is, in a sense, a betrayal. And nowhere was there a greater betrayal than that of Jesus by Judas. If we were to judge the Church by that example, then it would be clear that Christianity itself was a corrupt institution. And what about the judgement of that Jesus Fellow, Who chose such unreliable disciples? One of them turned Him in to the authorities, another one - the leader of the group, no less - denied he even knew Him. Even the ones who didn't betray Him deserted Him in His hour of need. What's up with that?

No, we don't judge the Church by Judas. Nor do the sins of great men necessarily nullify their words. Yes, we leave ourselves open to the charge of hypocracy when we say one thing and do another, but great sinners often have a keener sense of sin. For our inspiration we look at St. Peter, who denied Him but repented; we look at St. Paul, who persecuted Christians and repented; at St. Augustine, who led a life of debauchery and repented; at Oscar Wilde, whose lifestyle took him to his deathbed, where he repented. See a pattern here?

We are all sinners, and Our Savior came to heal us. Thank God He did, and continues to heal the contrite of heart every day. If that isn't enough to help you keep the faith when days seem dark, what is?