“How can the pope say that the other denominations are defective when American Catholicism had to pay $2 billion because of predator priests?” –From an angry e-mail writer

Good question.

The media did not accurately convey what the Vatican was trying to say.

Like everyone else in the curia, the media relations people simply do not make mistakes. Got it? If American Catholics are embarrassed by these non-mistakes, the reasons are weak faith, secularism, materialism, consumerism, etc., etc.

However, there is an aspect of the current contretemps that is worth noting. One of the weaknesses of the other denominations, the pope observes, is that they don’t have apostolic succession: They can’t trace their leaders back to the apostles. This continuity with the past is indeed important to Catholicism. Many bishops are proud of the link. I often wonder, however, if they realize with what kind of men they are claiming continuity? On the basis of the New Testament, they were braggarts, liars, careerists, thieves, cowards, conspirators, traitors and incompetents. They did improve with time, and they did pass on the teachings of Jesus (which I take it is the pope’s point) and they did die for their convictions, but they were not the kind of men who you or I would choose if we were starting a church. One could argue there hasn’t been all that much improvement since then.

Catholics do not believe in their bishops or priests. They believe in God, of whom the Church is a sacrament. However, they do claim a right to intelligent and sensitive, competent and user-friendly clergy. Even these days, two millennia out of Jerusalem, there are not nearly enough of those around.

Father Greeley — ya gotta love ‘im.