Across the globe today, Christians are observing Ash Wednesday, the first day of the Lenten season of abstinence from temptation. Christians have blessed ashes touched to their foreheads to signify their belief in Jesus Christ. The Lenten season ends on Easter Sunday, and those who have abstained from temptation hope for atonement from their sins.
As observed by Catholics, however, Ash Wednesday is not a day of outright obligation. It isn't spread out to the Christmas-and-Easter mass crowd with the similar sense of Catholic duty to attend. Basically, Ash Wednesday is for the believers, the unwaveringly faithful.
While the Diocese of Lansing prepares and makes this year's Ash Wednesday, they'll have much to mull over aside from parishioners' ashen foreheads. An internal investigation has reported that 21 allegations of child sexual abuse were lodged against 19 Lansing-area priests and deacons in 52 years. Furthermore, the diocese is anticipating the release of a nationwide report on abuse on Feb. 27, certain to give clergy even more problematic allegations.
While four of the Lansing-area allegations revealed by the diocese have been unsubstantiated - according to Lansing clergy - it still equates to 17 allegations too many. The abuse of a child, in any form, by any person, is entirely and thoroughly reprehensible. A public censure of guilty clergy and deacons at this point, though, would be not only untimely, but also redundant to our prior opinion of clergy abuse.
What we wish for, as the Diocese of Lansing prepares to navigate its way through a difficult time, is for parishioners of all faiths to not lose trust or confidence in their religious leader. The creation of the pedophile priest stereotype has caused virtuous religious leaders to be needlessly judged. Since religion has been important to people - meaning, forever - the frock has been a symbol of selflessness, trust and counsel.
Recently, most markedly in Boston, New York, Chicago and now Lansing, it has been the abuse of that trust that has put an indelible mark on the priesthood and the Catholic Church. But, just as when any horrific trend occurs, it's important to put the blame on individuals, no matter how strongly the trend points to the Catholic Church as a whole.
To be sure, Catholics across the nation are facing a test of their faith in religious leaders. Hopefully, though, faith in belief structures is not entirely hinged on the criminal acts of one person. Testing one's faith is a testament to his or her abilities, and it will become increasingly important in coming months that Lansing-area Catholics not forget that.
This is not an indictment of Lansing-area priests, nor is it directed to Catholics only. Transgressions occur in every church to a variation of degrees, and we urge that any faith not be determined by one's misuse of trust.
It's entirely saddening and troubling to see the effects of sexual abuse (Patrick McSorley, a victim of abuse and anti-diocese advocate was recently found dead) but it would be even more disturbing to see lifelong faith waver when the hammer comes down on a guilty few.
