The Catholic Church has been the subject of a severe scandal involving the sexual abuse of minors by some of its priests and its subsequent coverup. This is so very obviously a major issue that the Church must overcome, but a new story coming out of the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi sheds light on the bigger problem facing the Catholic Church.
According to the story from the Clarion Ledger, Fr. Lenin Vargas-Gutierrez is being accused of lying about being diagnosed with cancer (he apparently has HIV) and soliciting money from parishioners for charity but instead using it for personal use.
If true, it’s a clear-cut case of fraud.
Some parishioners had raised concerns about Fr. Vargas to several priests, including Fr. John Bohn, who has made it public that he was a “confidential informant” to the federal government on this case. While he and the other priests did alert the diocese of Fr. Vargas’s alleged misconduct, as per the article, Fr. Bohn had the following to say about it:
“It appeared to me to be systemic, premeditated fraud,” Bohn said Monday. “If you’re reasonably suspicious of criminal activity, go to law enforcement. That’s what we did.”
“If the diocese was suspicious of criminal behavior, why didn’t they go to law enforcement?” Bohn asked. “That’s my biggest question. Maybe they did. If they were aware of what was being alleged, why didn’t they?”
Fr. Bohn represents a serious problem. He has lost sight of the authority he ought to submit to. He’s unfortunately no different than so many other Catholics and people of every other religion. The idea that the diocese and the Church at large should report to the government is a capitulation to the government’s authority over the Church. This flies in the face of the God’s authority over the Church. It’s an affront to the relationship between God and humans.
The diocese has yet to comment on whether they informed the government about Fr. Vargas, but Fr. Bohn’s behavior and words have made it seem like their handling of the situation was somehow obviously insufficient.
The state has no magical ability to handle criminal behavior, including acts as evil as sexual abuse against children, better than other institutions. In fact, the state has shown over and over again that it is one of the worst vehicles for justice imaginable. But the problem is that people confuse their lust for blood and revenge with justice, so the violent methods of the state appear to be the only way to administer justice for crimes.
To be a Christian—especially a Catholic priest—and support the violent means of the state shows a severe misunderstanding of the teachings they claim to believe.
Does the Catholic Church have a sparkling record for dealing with problems? Not many would say yes, but to hold that it is subject to the state’s authority, rules, and regulations renders it a mere instrument of the state. This is the worst-case scenario for everyone.
It means the Church has replaced God with the state.
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