It can’t get any worse

Just when I say to myself “it can’t get any worse” I get stopped in my tracks, my head begins to pound, and I just want to give up. The truth seems like a distant memory when I go over the facts of the grand jury report on the sex abuse case of the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania. Lies that covered up bigger lies leave me speechless.

Once again, the Allentown Diocese takes another piece of the heart of the coal regions and puts it our for trash. A good majority of the priests who had a past of child abuse were not defrocked or sent to the authorities; they were handily deposited in the coal regions.

Most if not all towns had priests serving parishes while fools like me never knew about their past. Instead of Panther Valley we should be called pervert valley.

These perpetrators held Masses, heard confessions and administered to schools. That’s right — just how bad could it get? Yet as of today we get the usual message from the hierarchy of “it’s a time of healing and forgiveness.” Do our church leaders know what they have done? Attendance is down, young people are not attending. Why would they?

The entire diocese and possibly the entire church are teetering on dysfunction if not ruin. I don’t understand how a priest can commit such a heinous act (crime) and then get full protection without ever providing an explanation or face consequences for their behavior. I’m both wrong and disgusted since I always believed all men were created equal, no one better or more privileged than the other.

The Catholic Church sure proved me wrong on this one. Bishop Schlert is way beyond control. He sets up his “zero-tolerance policy,” but then two more priests were caught this year with improprieties. This is out of control. I’m going to need more than a video and a special prayer to even get close to trusting this broken and pathetic institution.

“Hate the sin, but love the sinner” is true, but the sinner has to show genuine remorse, not merely go into the confessional, confess and go right back to the sin again.

I can’t say I didn’t see some of this coming. The reverence and respect for the Holy Eucharist seems nonexistent in today’s celebration of the Mass. One of the most beautiful parts of our faith is the consecration of the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The dress code has gone by the wayside.

The way some people show up for Mass is appalling. Just where is the respect? When I was a young boy everyone dressed for church and the priest had the utmost reverence when handling the chalice. Today it is simply going through the motions and that’s it.

I am a firm believer of leading by example, if the priest doesn’t care, what can we expect from the congregation” We have to get back to a mindset of worship and thanksgiving to our God. If not we will only see things get worse. We have replaced evil for good, and good for evil.

John Zonca

Lansford