What is the Catholic Church, Anyway?

The Catholic Church, believers hold, has been in existence since Christ first spoke to one of his Apostles, Peter , and gave him authority over the rest of the small collection of Jewish followers. That would make the Church nearly 2000 years old. During those years the Church has expanded and developed from an instrument of salvation to an institution held together by an all male hierarchy that must constantly consider, not only how to save souls but how to keep itself afloat and in a sense "in business". It is perhaps this dichotomy of purposes that makes it difficult for Catholics themselves and for outsiders to be able to answer the continuing question - "What Is the Catholic Church, Anyway?"

Pope Benedict's Pronouncement On July 10, 2007 Pope Benedict XVI gave his approval to a pronouncement that some said was made to clarify misunderstandings among Catholics and non-Catholics regarding not only the nature of the Catholic Church but also the failings of other Christian Churches . In the pronouncement and in further explanatory statements regarding the original pronouncement, the Pope insisted upon the unique status of the Catholic Church as the "one true Church" the church through which those seeking salvation must clearly pass.

In some ways what Pope Benedict XVI said only reflects what the Church has long, and rather efficiently, taught in its catechetical offerings. The Church has four characteristics it is one, holy, catholic ( meaning universal) and apostolic. The Pope is claiming in a sense that it is only the Roman Catholic Church that fulfills these characteristics. This is another way of saying that the Roman Catholic Church is the only church with true pedigree. It is the only Church that can credibly link itself to Christ through the Apostles and the many Popes who have descended throughout nearly two thousand years connecting today to Pope Benedict XVI.

What the other churches, those in the Eastern Rite or Orthodox churches and denominations of Protestant churches are seen as lacking is a direct connection to the Apostolic tradition begun with Peter and continuing, so the Roman Catholic Church teaches, until today. Lacking that connection the ministry of all other churches falls short and cannot offer what the Catholic Church believes that it alone can provide - salvation as promised by Jesus.

Cardinal Mahony's Pronouncement Only a week after Pope Benedict's statement proclaiming the Catholic Church to be the one true Church, from the other side of the Atlantic came another pronouncement by a major American figure in the Roman Catholic Church. This statement did not claim superiority over anyone but rather was a display of regret and sorrow for abusive acts committed by priests upon children in the Catholic Church. The statement was made by Cardinal Roger Mahony of Los Angeles.

In 2002, in Boston Massachusetts egregious sexual misconduct by a number of Boston priests was made public and eventually led to the removal of priests, in some cases their incarceration and the payment of some $157 million in damages to victims. Additional fallout included the resignation of Cardinal Law as Archbishop of Boston and his reassignment to a position in Rome. But Boston was not the only city to discover that its Catholic Church was riddled with unseemly allegations.

In Los Angeles Cardinal Mahony was also besieged by alleged victims with all manner of accusations demanding to be heard and to have their abusers named and dealt with. In December of 2006 some 45 victims in Los Angeles were compensated by payments totaling $60 million but as many said then it was only the tip of the iceberg. The rest of the iceberg was dealt with on July 16, 2007 when Cardinal Mahony announced an agreement with representatives of alleged victims through which the Archdiocese agreed to pay 507 victims a total of $660 million in compensation for the suffering they have undergone at the hands of priests .

The Juxtaposition of Pronouncements For even a casual outside observer the juxtaposition of statements made within a week of each other by the head of the Catholic Church in the world and one of its main leaders in the U. S. is mind boggling. One has to ask, how can it be that in Italy one man is proclaiming to all the world that it is only in the Catholic Church that one can find the way to salvation, while across the Atlantic another notable Catholic clergyman is apologizing for heinous crimes against the innocence of children and the faith of families that occurred in precisely that same Church.

One might say, that every barrel has a few rotten apples and in this regard the Catholic Church is no exception. After all, not all priests are pedophiles, not even a very significant percentage are pedophiles. Most Catholics will speak to the goodness, kindness and self sacrifice of many of the priests they have known. There are many good priests, brothers, sisters and lay people working to service the people of God. About that there can be little doubt.

Also it must surely be acknowledged that all deviant behavior is not the sole property of Catholic clergymen. Everywhere in our society today there is a profound need for circumspection with regard to the care of our children. Daycares, scout troops, other religious organizations, youth groups, schools all provide situations in which there can be unmonitored scenarios where abuse could and sometimes does occur. The Catholic Church has no lock on the opportunity for misconduct or its actual occurrence.

True Church, Not True Church. Pope Benedict's has made a pronouncement, a statement made up of words, asserting that the Catholic Church is the one true church. But there are many aphorisms, scriptural passages, and proverbs that people can appropriately quote in return. For example "by their fruits you will know them", "beware of wolves in sheep's clothing" or a simple favorite "practice what you preach".

If the Catholic Church wishes to be seen and believed in as the one true church, surely it must do more than make a proclamation. For its congregants and for those currently outside of its community, the Catholic Church needs to claim by its actions a position which now it seems to be claiming only by theology and history.

Without ever questioning the validity of the Pope's proclamation those within the circle of the Catholic Church are demanding more faithful execution of the very trust which the Pope has claimed for the church. The sexual abuse crisis has brought many to question how bishops and lesser officials who knowingly covered up the actions of pedophile priests can still be administering sacraments and leading congregations. They may also wonder how it can be that Church leaders who presided over decades of decadent behavior dealt with it by ignoring it or simply transferring transgressors from one innocent parish with its innocent children to another. They may be baffled that priests known to have had sexual misconduct with children as part of their portfolio could be turned loose to abuse again. They may be troubled in their faith because of the actions of those leading the flock.

The Catholic Church in America and around the world can recover from the sexual abuse scandal. Surprisingly enough perhaps the very root to its recovery lies in the pronouncement made by Pope Benedict. It is by acting out what it means to BE the one true church that the Catholic Church can rebuild itself.

In the future people will continue to ask the question "What is the Catholic Church, anyway?" . Catholics will be better served if they can respond not with a proclamation only but with the visible actions of a community that truly follows Christ not just with its words but with its actions.