Excerpts of an article written by non-Catholic Sam Miller – a prominent
Cleveland Jewish businessman:“Why would newspapers carry on a vendetta on one of the most important institutions that we have today in the United States , namely the Catholic Church?
Do you know – the Catholic Church educates 2.6 million students everyday at the cost to that Church of 10 billion dollars, and a savings on the other hand to the American taxpayer of 18 billion dollars. The graduates go on to graduate studies at the rate of 92%.
The Church has 230 colleges and universities in the U.S. with an enrollment of 700,000 students.
The Catholic Church has a non-profit hospital system of 637 hospitals, which account for hospital treatment of 1 out of every 5 people – not just Catholics – in the United States today
But the press is vindictive and trying to totally denigrate in every way the Catholic Church in this country. They have blamed the disease of pedophilia on the Catholic Church, which is as irresponsible as
blaming adultery on the institution of marriage.
Let me give you some figures that Catholics should know and remember. For example, 12% of the 300 Protestant clergy surveyed admitted to sexual intercourse with a parishioner; 38% acknowledged other inappropriate sexual contact in a study by the United Methodist Church , 41.8% of clergy women reported unwanted sexual behavior;
17% of laywomen have been sexually harassed.
Meanwhile, 1.7% of the Catholic clergy has been found guilty of pedophilia. 10% of the Protestant ministers have been found guilty of pedophilia. This is not a Catholic Problem.
all this obnoxious PR the church has been receiving.
The Catholic Church is bleeding from self-inflicted wounds. The agony that Catholics have felt and suffered is not necessarily the fault of the Church. You have been hurt by a small number of wayward priests that have probably been totally weeded out by now.
Walk with your shoulders high and you head higher. Be a proud member of the most important non-governmental agency in the United States .
Then remember what Jeremiah said: ‘
Stand by the roads, and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is and walk in it, and find rest for your souls’. Be proud to speak up for your faith with pride and reverence and learn what your Church does for all other religions.Be proud that you’re a Catholic.”
Please pass this on to every Catholic on your e-mail .
COMMENTS:
This is an inspiring pie
ce of information during this season of lent as we approach the day when Christ initiated the blessed sacrament of ‘The Holy Order’.I do not agree with the view of Sam Miller “
You have been hurt by ….. wayward priests that have probably been totally weeded out by now“. I feel lot more needs to be done in the area of corruption in the catholic church and bringing transparency in the administration.Let us not be complacent till we see entire church, for which Christ shed His blood, in ruins.
May the risen Lord inspire the priests and the laity to be proactive
in restoring the glory of the risen Lord.I still admire the priests of the olden days who did not miss their daily mass and the reading of the scriptures (breviary) and obedience to the authorities. Most of them were instrumental in moulding the generations in the path of life. Our community stands for the core values which they imbibed with their exemplary behaviour and preaching.
No doubt majority of the Priests almost 99% even today are excellent who keep up their vocation and committed to the cause of bringing God’s kingdom among the people.
It is time to weed out the bad elements among the Priests, who scandalise the entire community through their behaviour and due to their bad example prevent people of other communities from choosing the path of life and who inflictexodus of the faithful from the Catholic church.
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