"The Priests in my Life"
By Charlotte Grossetête.
France
March 11, 2019
Like many Catholics, I have learned of the clerical sex abuse scandals that have emerged in recent years with horror and disgust.
Like many Catholics, I have suffered at how slow the Church has been in facing up to the scandal.
As a mother, I can clearly imagine the suffering of the children and the parents who have experienced such despicable behavior destroying their lives.
I feel an immense anger at these hypocritical men in Roman collars who have led double lives and betrayed the promises of their priesthood to the greatest extent possible.
They spat on the Lord that they claimed to serve.
They spat on Christ who came for the little ones, the poor, the defenseless, for "the children and those who resemble them"!
Having written and said all this with a broken heart, I would like to summarize what I, a person who has never had to deal with such evil priests, have experienced.
I was 13 in 1990 when I joined in a series of summer camps that became highlights of my adolescence and which gave direction to my life's search for the beautiful and the good.
The priests whom I met there filled me with enthusiasm, energy and hope as well as humility at the level of constant progress needed, which would be difficult to achieve over the course of one's whole life.
That's what priests meant to me in my adolescent life.
I was 19 in 1996 when in a choked voice my philosophy professor read us the testament of Father Christian de Chergé, which had been published the day before.
In the space of two pages, Father de Chergé explained everything from the meaning of a life dedicated to God, to the peace that comes even at the most difficult moments, and respect for another religion, which, properly understood, should not lead to hate.
In my youthful life in search of testimonies, that's what priests meant to me.
I was 20 in 1997 when the Paris Metro took on an exceptional allure. We sang, we laughed and chatted in a whole host of languages at World Youth Day. Nor did the feeling remain ephemeral.
Afterwards, prayer, reflection and sharing groups formed.
I got to know tremendously knowledgeable priests, who "opened up my heart to understanding the Scriptures."
They were profound, wise men of prayer, who transmitted to me the joy of combining my faith with reason.
In my student life, that's what priests meant.
I was 24 in 2001 when the chaplain at the Institute of Political Science took our group to India to help build houses in a Dalit village.
There, I got to know Father Pierre Ceyrac, who, refused a well deserved retirement. He continued to endlessly spend himself in the battle against misery to which so many priests have given and still give their lives.
That's what priests meant in my life as a young woman.
I was 32 in 2009 when our discrete, gentle and ever present priest accompanied us in the loss of a child.
He appreciated how to offer the balm of hope to a deep wound. Although hope cannot hide the bruises, it does help remind us that the doors to Eternal Life are still open.
In our society, which avoids the issue of death as much as possible, priests are among those who light a flame in the midst of shadows when we are confronted with death.
In my life as a mourning mum, that's what priests meant to me.
I certainly do not idealize the person of the priest, even though I have been lucky enough to only meet good priests.
I have too many friends and cousins who have become priests over the years to believe that they are perfect.
And they laugh if I allow them to be enveloped in any kind of aurora. Clericalism exists here and there, but not around me.
The priests whom I know are gifted with beautiful balance and a "sacredness" sprinkled with self-deprecating humor.
They will need such humor and balance to deal with frequent insults in these difficult times. If it's not you, it's your brother, people will say. Wearing a Roman collar in the street today is to expose oneself to suspicion and to accusation without any presumption of innocence.
However, I also believe that, as difficult as this is for priests who are irreproachable to the highest level possible, the current ordeal is necessary for the Church to advance, freed from an insidious gangrene.
Even when gangrene does not affect every limb of the body it can still cause death.
The crimes of some priests, the silence of others who sought to stop the infection by denying it – all this leads to death. The Church now has the opportunity to choose life.
I have confidence that the priests of today will take up the challenge by cherishing and honoring the call they received on the day of their ordination as deacons. This is a call to transparency and to personal coherence.
"Receive the Gospel of Christ that it is your mission to announce. Be careful to believe in the Word that you read, to teach what you believe and to live out what you teach," the text reads.
Thus, they will become servants of Jesus Christ, faithful to their vocation and to the world's expectations.
They will be committed to sharing the message they have received, from which I have also greatly benefited myself owing to the work of many good priests, namely the gift of a Christian faith which invites to build a better, more just and loving world.
(Charlotte Grossetête is a writer and publisher).
Article originally published: https://international.la-croix.com/news/the-priests-in-my-life/9635
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