Bishop Jenky: The Media Hates the Catholic Church

This is almost 1 of those"What else is new?" moments. A lot of us have been saying this for a long time. I also know that what I am about to say may make some people on all sides of the issue upset.

I have to say at the start that many Bishops did mishandle things in dealing with priests who were sexually abusing minors. But, many were just doing what the Psychological experts at the time told them was the right thing. Yet they are getting off scott free. Why aren't the victims going after them as well for malpractice? Or the media for that matter? If the Bishops were still wrong even when following the advice of experts, why aren't those experts being held accountable as well?

But even when it was a coverup & was the Bishop's fault, that doesn't justify the way the media mishandled the coverage. They were like a shark in the water who smelled blood. Their coverage was aimed more at destroying the Catholic Church than bringing evil actions to light. & they have been aided & abetted by lawyers who are out to make a buck & care just as little as the media about the victims. I won't go into the hypocricy of groups like NAMBLA that the media is buddy buddy with. Or the fact that the media has covered up most of the same type of activity that is just as common (if not more so) in other professions like teaching.

No, the media saw the failures of human beings & are using it to attack God's Church because the media is ultimately opposed to God. The Church stands for the Divinely ordained "Culture of Life", the media is in the demonic "culture of death" camp.

While the people at Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests may not like it, at times their actions have looked & sounded more like they are out for vengange rather than helping victims. All the money in the world isn't going to help a single victim if that victim harbors hate & unforgiveness in his heart & ends up going to Hell as a result of that.

There is so much more I could go on & on about like the way they attack priests who are dead & have no way to defend themselves should they be innocent. (& some of them probably were innocent.) Whatever happenned to innocent until proven guilty? & those who are making false accusations are actually just as guilty of hurting the real victims because they are hurting the real victims credibility by their lies.

As I said at the start, there were a lot of cases of mishandling the complaints. There were coverups & the victims do deserve justice. But money alone won't provide it. They also deserve the real healing they need, & that includes being told that the must forgive those who wronged them just as Jesus did. & while the priests/Bishops who did wrong should pay for their crimes, they are human beings with eternal souls & they shouldn't just be abandoned either. Jesus wouldn't abandon them. Why are we?

In the end that is what I am asking, what would Jesus do, for the victims, for those who were guilty of those crimes? What is the justice God wants? Where is the Mercy God also demands? Of all & for all.

PS For any of those who don't like my idea of forgiving those who wronged you remember 2 things Jesus said. 1 is in the Lord's Prayer, "forgive us our tresspasses,(sins) as we forgive those who tresspass against us." & right after the Lord's Prayer, Jesus made it clear that the way we forgive others would be the standard for us being forgiven by God.

Here is the tex of Bishop Jenky's letter:

MOST REV. DANIEL R. JENKY, C.S.C.

OFFICE OF THE BISHOP

DIOCESE OF PEORIA

OFFICE OF THE BISHOP

607 N.E. MADISON AVENUE

PEORIA, ILLINOIS 61603

PHONE: 309-671-1564

FAX: 309-671-5079

February 7-8, 2009

Dear Priests, Deacons, Religious and Faithful of the Diocese of Peoria,

My greatest responsibility as your bishop is to preach the Gospel, celebrate the Sacraments, and to try my best to be a good shepherd for this local church. The saddest part of my ministry has been to deal with our part of the immense societal issue of sexual misconduct with minors. Where there have been credible accusations made against individuals and with the advice of my Review Commission, I have not hesitated to remove them from all active ministry. I have also tried to attentively follow the charter adopted by the American bishops that deals in a comprehensive manner with this painful subject. I have not discovered any evidence in this Diocese that priests guilty of misconduct were ever moved from assignment to assignment. Our Diocese normally offers counseling to victims rather than paying out large cash settlements. Not every allegation has been found to be credible by our Review Commission, and so our Diocese resists supporting those claims that simply cannot be sustained by the facts. I take very seriously my responsibility to protect all the children entrusted to our care, and I am absolutely convinced that today the programs of our Church now provide the safest possible environment in America for your children.

In these perilous economic times, I will work to be a prudent steward of the money you offer for the work of Christ. Attorneys representing some claimants and some "victims groups" obviously have a significant financial stake in trying to overturn our Diocesan policies. Recent decisions in the Illinois courts may make our legal situation even more difficult in the future. It should be noted that the sexual abuse of minors cuts across all socio-economic lines, ethnicities, ministries, and religions. It is important to remember that the State basically exempts its own institutions from civil litigation. Amid all the tensions of our nation's culture wars and in the face of the media's intense hatred for our Catholic Faith, I am increasingly concerned that our Church in effect no longer enjoys equal justice under the law. I will not be intimidated by choreographed demonstrations or the abuse that is sometimes personally directed against me. I remain immensely proud of the zealous and holy priesthood of our Diocese. May God guide and protect his Holy Church and bless us all in his service.

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, C.S.C.

BISHOP OF PEORIA

Source: Bishop Jenky's letter: Media has 'intense hatred' of Catholics