Scottish Catholic Observer

The recent challenges facing the Church here in Scotland have created quite a dilemma. Issues that have highlighted the need for the Church to operate by and adhere to the standards of modern society have raised the blood of many lay Catholics normally respectful and sympathetic to the Church. People have questions. That is not to say that they are questioning their Faith, no, that is another matter. The laity has questions relating to trust, transparency and safeguarding and yes, tradition. And the abject revulsion over historic abuse cases, as even one victim is one case too many, has meant that the concerns of Faithful Catholics has been equally strong.

As Pope Francis speaks of greater respect and understanding between people of different faiths, most recently Catholics and Muslims, the SCO would counsel cool heads and open minds within our own Church.

Lay Catholics must respect that while the way the Church is run may not be perfect, as nothing on this earth is, it operates in certain ways for valid reasons and the historic problems that have come to light are being examined by today’s standards in society, standards that the Church now matches. The laity must also remember that the majority of the clergy have no connection to the cases that have been raised.

Likewise, ordained clergy must not fault or belittle the questions and concerns of the laity. The pastoral leadership and care offered by Bishop Hugh Gilbert of Aberdeen is a shining example of the way forward that is needed now.

If we are truly one Universal Catholic Church, then any potential division between the ordained and the laity must be addressed.

No one is in favour of ‘protecting’ the Church to the detriment of anyone who may have a genuine case against it. However, given the historic hostility of elements in Scottish society against Catholicism, it is little wonder that we all feel the need to protect our religious freedom from those who would take these tragic and, thankfully, few, cases of abuse and use them gleefully for their own ends to beat the Church with.

The challenges we currently face as a Church are opportunities that, God willing, we will seize.

We cannot change the past but we can learn from it and look to the future. Pope Francis—and the Catholics in Scotland writing in this week’s SCO about their experiences at World Youth Day in Rio—show us where our future lies. We must work and look towards that future, taking responsibility for the past but not allowing it to hold us back or be a stumbling block to the mission of the Church and the good work that it does both here in Scotland and throughout the world.