LET'S REPAIR WHAT'S WRONG WITH OUR CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Byline: Posted by Patricia Aidem

valleynews.com

Finally, finally an apology from Cardinal Roger Mahony and an acknowledgment that he shares blame for allowing victims of sexual predators in priests' robes to wallow in undeserved shame for years, to live with the knowledge they were betrayed by their very faith.

Much of the shame is his and sadly we Catholics share the burden for participating in a church that we knew tried relentlessly to cover things up.

We dropped our hard-earned cash in the collection plates each Sunday, money now deservedly being handed over to hundreds of victims who will be paid a total of $660 million in the largest settlement to date in a sickening scandal that has eroded our church.

In this church where we have worshipped for years, where we were baptized, wore lacy veils for First Communion, knelt in the dark to confess our sins to the priests we revered, our hearts now weep.

We married before a priest, we brought our babies for baptism and we likely will be there one last time for our funerals.

All the while, some priests were moved from parish to parish -- and worse, from grade school to grade school -- once reports and rumors surfaced through the ranks that Father was a pervert who preyed on the young.

Records of what the church knew were kept secret as victims and their advocates -- even the Los Angeles County district attorney -- tried to collect evidence to expose these men who over decades stole the innocence of so many children who looked to them with awe.

There are certainly good men in the priesthood, wonderful men who share the word of God with their flocks, who counsel, who comfort and who serve as extraordinary examples of true Christianity.

They deserve our love and support as this scandal continues. As Catholics, we share responsibility to help restore their legacy by fixing what's wrong.

This church owes us answers. This church owes us reforms. Our church owes us an overhaul to ensure seminaries and rectories never again house men who would take children in altar robes and use them for their horrid pleasures.

Catholics in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles must ignite what's been a rather tepid rally for women priests and for married priests. Patriarchy is unjust. Celibacy does not work. And God asked for neither. God, in fact, gave us the gift of sexuality, a strong, passionate drive that thousands of priests across the nation have proved cannot easily be squelched.

Should Christ be on Earth today, there's no question in my heart there would be women among his chosen 12. Women have proved worldwide that they can lead, yet the church still relegates their roles to second-class.

There are some women now heading Southern California parishes where priests aren't available. Let's see who among them wants to pursue changing that title from "parish life director" to "the Reverend."

The priesthood is in crisis. The numbers are waning as seminary enrollment dwindles and a generation nears retirement. The San Fernando Pastoral Region of the archdiocese is at the forefront of a "twinning" effort, to assign one priest to two parishes to ease the shortage.

Opening the doors to married men and to women would not only bring churches the priests they need, it would stoke the fire in the hearts of the disenfranchised and the new generation of young women who see and question their place in the church.

And, more significantly, it would show the thousands of victims of the church's sex-abuse scandal that the Catholic Church is truly remorseful for their suffering and realizes change is a commitment to repair the damage.