As I cautioned in the Mass announcements last weekend, the McCarrick Report was released by the Vatican this week. This is a report about the life and ecclesial career of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, who, two years ago, was exposed as a serial sexual predator, eventually leading to his laicization. Though I have not read the report myself, the different summaries and commentaries suggest that it is a thorough and reasonably honest look at how an abuser was able to rise through the ranks of the Church. It is possible that some of those who were interviewed by the compilers of this report continued to lie about what they knew and when they knew it, but there is nothing obviously hidden or obscured in this investigation.
As always, whenever we are forced to confront the history of sexual abuse in the Church, our thoughts are first and foremost for the victims of this abuse. As I will never tire of saying, these victims are the Church, and these perpetrators harmed the Body of Christ when they carried out their deeds. We should always weep for the wounded Body of Christ, and pray for its healing, in this case, through the healing of these individuals. I pray especially for the victims of Michael Cody, who was briefly pastor here at Assumption.
However, as we look to the future and ask ourselves how we can ensure that these sins cannot happen again in our Church, I think it is essential that we remember Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.” We need to seek to understand the spiritual dynamics at play, not just the psychological. To that end, I found this admittedly long and theologically dense article enlightening and helpful. https://newpolity.com/blog/the-perversion-of-the-priesthood
Fr. Moore 