The ongoing scandal(s), 3

At mass last Sunday, our presider spoke movingly about the latest phase of the church's sex scandal. He wished he could hear our reactions to it. I got to wondering: Just what is my reaction? Or, better, what are my reactions?

One: I'm angry that I was lied to when I was growing up. I -- we, everyone in Catholic schools in the '50's and '60's -- was taught that sex "outside of marriage" (and some kinds of sex inside marriage) were "gravely sinful." We now know, however, that bishops, at least some of them, treated sexual sins, when they were committed by their priests, as no big deal: Send the offenders off for some counseling and then ship them out to a new parish and hope for the best. I doubt that the teaching I received affected how I actually lived my life, but whether it did or not, I am angry now when I realize how I was lied to then.

Two: I'm not terribly shocked by the behavior of the bad priests. As I wrote a few days ago, priests are people, and some people are bad. What's to be shocked by?

Three: Despite the behavior of some priests, my respect for priests in general is still very high. Much higher than it probably "should" be. I've certainly run into my share of rude, ignorant, intolerant men in Roman collars, but when I hear "priest," I don't think of those boors. Instead, what comes to mind are people like:

• Richard Leone, OSFS -- an inspiring teacher in high school who came back into my life (thanks be to God) 6 or 8 years later when I was facing the draft.
• Terrence Toland, SJ -- a Dean or VP or something at St. Joseph's who encouraged us to dialog with people of other faiths and to do so with an open mind, "because maybe they're right."
• Dick Forti, OSFS -- a gentle man and a dear friend I didn't do right by; R.I.P.
  
• Tom Cassidy -- a pastor who actually treated his parishioners as if they were intelligent adults.
• Hilary Hayden, OSB -- the only priest I ever knew who could (and did!) put Wittgenstein and Marx into a Sunday homily at a staid suburban church.
  
• Stewart Culkin -- a friend and great preacher who taught me something new every time he climbed into the pulpit and who struggled mightily against those rude, ignorant, intolerant (young) men in Roman collars until the boors finally won, driving him from the ministry. R.I.P.
• Paul Cioffi, SJ -- also a friend and an even greater preacher, if you can imagine that. He was my guru.He taught God's abbondanza love. And taught it and taught it and taught it. And then taught it some more. Rest in peace, Paul.
• Leonard Tuozzolo, CSSp -- warm, funny, welcoming, open-minded, open-hearted, and almost always in trouble with his bishop. "This is the body of Christ! Let all who believe come forward now to receive him." "God has forgiven you for sins you haven't even thought of committing yet."
  

God bless them all -- and all those I'm forgetting.