Recognizing Good Priests in the Midst of Scandal

Dear Blog Visitors:

We continue to be saturated with stories in the media concerning the escalating sexual abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church. As you know, I have made several videos on this topic, and I have tried to identify causes and solutions to the crisis.

A couple days ago, I received a letter from a Pittsburgh diocesan priest. His request to me was very simple and reasonable. In brief, he asked that I consider making a video that recognizes the many good priests throughout the world, who continue to serve faithfully, despite the hardships caused by the abuse crisis.

In the video I am providing above, I indeed paid tribute to all priests who serve those in need, whether the priests be celibate, married or women.

The Pittsburgh priest who wrote the letter to me helped me to realize the stigma many good priests experience in public places. In this particular case, the priest experienced people staring at him at an airport, since he was wearing a collar, whereas this was not the case before the sexual abuse scandal became headline news.
It is indeed tragic that it is now difficult for a priest to wear a collar in a public place.

While we must continue to work toward solutions that will end the sexual abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church, we must also continue to express our gratitude to the vast majority of priests who serve faithfully on a daily basis.

Peace to all,
Ray