What you can do if no one will listen…..

We have all been frustrated at times by injustice that we feel incapable of correcting. Not merely do we feel powerless to challenge the system ourselves but we have no idea how to get anyone to listen to us.

I ran into this system with our local city authorities recently. The city refused to return s deposit I had made to get my utilities hooked up in spite of an admitted agreement to return the deposit after a specified period of prompt payment of my bill. When the time came the city manager was very pleasant, admitted that we had a contract but said the city council had decided not to live up to its
side of the contract. Too bad they had not told me! I fumed but felt the amount was not worth getting a lawyer to sue the city.

However when I paid my bill this month I mentioned it to the clerk in the payment office. She did some checking, without my requesting it, and told me that the money would be credited to my next monthly bill. Sometimes it is just a matter of getting someone to listen who cares!

I was reading an article in the National Catholic Reporter this week about the most recent sex abuse scandal in Philadelphia (you probably did not find any mention of it in your local Catholic paper). What struck me most of all was the almost unanimous comment: How can we get anyone in authority to listen to us? How can we get the Church authorities to realize that this is the major problem facing the Church right now, this is why the Church has lost credibility, this is why it is losing members, particularly the next generation? And the loss of credibility particularly refers to the hierarchy, to the prelates who have hidden and covered-up the scandals. Unfortunately they have hurt the Church and their flocks, they have hurt good priests and honest bishops by their lies and double talk. And friends in high places have protected them.

Which brings me to the point of my blog: How can we get our bishops to wake up to the problem and take some real action to clean up the mess? We must start with our own diocese. The bishop is responsible for his own diocese, so we need to talk to him, not to the Archbishop in New York or the nuncio in Washington. How do we talk to him? Some people say “Money talks”. Not really. People with money, people who are generous with their money can talk much more effectively. That’s a fact of life, even in the Church. Don’t tell me that the Legionaries of Christ would have survived accusations of improper behavior for so long had Marcial Maciel Degollado not provided such generous financial support to Vatican causes.

But the further fact is that they can talk privately and informally with the bishop and the other senior clergy. Most dioceses and bishops have, either formally or informally, a group of laity such as a Pastoral Council or advisory board with whom they meet from time to time to discuss issues. These are people who have the bishop’s ear, who can get him to listen and act.

These are the people you need to approach about issues. These are good people but they are also going to want the facts, not rumors or gossip, before they act. If you make accusations, you need proof. But they are also loyal to the Church and concerned about its reputation and its ability to serve God and His people.

(If all else fails, you might write for advice to: SNAPclohessy@aol.com )