Letters

Guilt-free sin

Paul Voskulen

Contents - Jul 2013 - Buy a copy now Homily: Saints John Fisher and Thomas More: from Pope Pius XI's canonisation homily Cardinal Pell's candid responses to Victorian Parliament grilling - Peter Westmore News: The Church Around the World Youth: Melbourne's young adult ministry continues its revival - Br Barry Coldrey Paul VI: Humanae Vitae: still prophetic after 45 years - Anne Lastman Cardinal Ouellet's Australian lecture: rediscover human nature - Owen Vyner Social media: Catholic activism and the AussieMite affair - Damian Wyld Formation: Future priests learn about the RCIA process - Rev Dr Elio Capra SDB Obituary: Vale Fr Paul Duffy SJ (1931-2013) - Anna Krohn Human dignity: Defence of marriage must be linked to defence of parenthood - Denise Hunnell Musicae Sacrae: The essential role of music in the Mass - Ronan Reilly Parody?: Anti-Catholic hate speech, Aussie Style (Move on, nothing to see here) - R.J. Stove Letters: Vision of Heaven? - Peter Harris Letters: Mr Hyde's lesson - John Ballantyne Letters: Healthy families vital - Brendan Keogh Letters: Finding true unity - Didymus Astle Letters: Matter of conscience - Arnold Jago Letters: Marriage simply is ... - Brian A. Coman Letters: Guilt-free sin - Paul Voskulen Letters: Offensive advert - Helen F. Daniel Letters: Contact your candidates - Gerard Calilhanna Letters: Christian civil rights - Name and Address Supplied Books: SAINTS WHO RAISED THE DEAD: True Stories of Four Hundred Resurrection Miracles - Br Barry Coldrey (reviewer) Books: ST JOSEMARIA ESCRIVA AND THE ORIGINS OF OPUS DEI - Br Barry Coldrey (reviewer) Books: Order books from www.freedompublishing.com.au Reflection: Benedict XVI: Sts Peter and Paul, two pillars of the Church

There is so much hand-wringing and soul searching over the sexual abuse scandals in the Church – and rightly so – but few seem to recall the prophetic words of Pope Paul VI in his 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae.

The root of a number of problems in the Church can be found in the rejection, by many bishops and priests, of the teaching in this document which really only defined more clearly what the Church had always taught.

While the sexual revolution raged in Western society and people needed clear guidance, all that many pastors offered was a false presentation of "the primacy of conscience": guilt-free sin. Of course, that doesn't really work, and not only do we now have all the consequences of a contraceptive lifestyle, but the guilt-free found out that they felt guilty after all hence we have cafeteria Catholics, empty churches and fewer, weaker, priests.

It is not so much the sexual abuse by a few that has brought the Church all this grief. The disaster has been caused by those bishops and priests who, in seeking a softer option, acquiesced to the spirit of the world and led their flocks astray.

If we were to see a public expression of repentance, from the top down, accompanied by a pastorally sensitive but uncompromised teaching of the truth, confidence in Christ's Church might yet be restored.

PAUL VOSKULEN
Tarlee, SA

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 26 No 6 (July 2013), p. 16