Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
Jun 5, 2002
Current Church crisis can lead to a new beginning, audience told
Msgr. Albacete compares sex abuse crisis to 13th century Church, 9/11
By Laurie Dunklee
Approximately 110 listeners packed a classroom at the John Paul II Center May 28 to hear Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete speak about the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church and its possible effects on the future of the Church.
Msgr. Albacete is the spiritual director and consultant for the Communion and Liberation International Movement, a movement founded in Milan, Italy, to help people encounter Christ and rediscover the traditions of the Church. A native of Puerto Rico, he was formerly president of the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico and a theology professor at the John Paul II Institute in Washington, D.C. He is a theologian and author who is admired for both his insight and his wit.
"I'd better get up here, I'm one of the few priests out of jail," he said, drawing audience laughter as he took the podium.
He expressed concern over the Church's loss of credibility as a result of the scandal, saying, "The Church is all about credibility, about believability. How can the Church ever again offer moral guidance in the area of human sexuality?
"A blow to the Church's credibility is a blow to faith," he added. "The greatest threat is that people will lose faith."
Solutions to the crisis proposed so far, he said, have revolved around providing explanations and reversing policies.
"People think quick solutions and changes in Church policies will repair the situation," he said. "But can the crisis be abated by ordaining women, reversing celibacy rules or getting rid of gays? I don't think so."
Msgr. Albacete compared reactions to the Church crisis with the reactions of people involved in the events of Sept. 11. He is currently working with the Public Broadcasting Service to produce a documentary on the spiritual implications of that tragedy.
"The survivors and victims' families we interviewed said their lives were changed. All of them were touched by that experience, and all were led to ask important questions about good and evil, life and death," he said. "None of them felt their experience could be explained adequately simply by understanding the issues of globalism and economics that precipitated the attacks. They insisted there was something more, a mystery that could not be explained. They felt strongly that fidelity to the victims' suffering requires that we don't try to explain or fix this away.
"As Catholics, we should take the same approach, that is, not try to explain or fix this crisis away," he continued. "Instead, let us allow it to clarify the state of the Church, without fear of what we might find."
He said the problem with applying systems and procedures as remedies is that it separates the Church from Christ.
"The Church is the place where the human and the divine become inseparable," he said. "The miracle of the Church is humans working through Christ and him working through us. If we rely on solutions from our own intelligence and our own morality, the Church's trouble will increase."
Msgr. Albacete compared the current Church crisis with the state of the Church in the 13th century, the time of St. Francis of Assisi.
"Church corruption was rampant and Church leadership was in turmoil," he said. "God told St. Francis, `Fix my Church,' so St. Francis changed his way of thinking. He decided the only way he could take on this task was to put himself completely in the service of Christ, follow and obey. His example led to a huge evangelization and much-needed reforms in the Church."
Msgr. Albacete said this is the approach the Church needs to take right now.
"The Church needs to stand before Christ and ask `Good Teacher, what must I do to live?'" he said. "The Church must depend only on God's mercy and in this be redeemed. In this will be the new evangelization, the new beginning."
Audience members were both challenged and encouraged by Msgr. Albacete's insights.
"When was the Church ever perfect?" said Audrey Montoya. "Even in Jesus' time there were problems. If they had condemned the whole effort based on a few people's behavior, where would we be now? I think Msgr. Albacete put it into perspective that the Church has always struggled but it can withstand troubles."
Kathy Hemenway, a newcomer to Denver, said the priest's comparisons of the crisis with the Sept. 11 tragedy and the crisis in St. Francis' time helped put the scandal into perspective for her.
"I wanted his insight into this crisis because I trust him implicitly," said Mary Beth Bonacci, a local writer and former graduate student of Msgr. Albacete.
Msgr. Albacete spoke about the book "The Risk of Education" by Father Luigi Giussani, founder of the Communion and Liberation Movement, on May 29.
His lectures were sponsored by the Ecclesial Movements and Charisms Office.
Audio tapes of Msgr. Albacete's presentations can be purchased by calling 303-703-9603.
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