Believers disillusioned
Even if there is truth in just a fraction of the allegations about corrupt priests, we can be sure of two things: first, that so-called «holy» men are made of flesh and blood, share the same vanity and passions, lust for power and greed as their fellow human beings. It has not been determined whether the degree of goodness in clerics is greater than that of laymen. But even if this was true, one would not expect it to be used as an alibi… Secondly, the individuals who preach love from their pulpits and from our television screens do not appear to love each other very much, as we see with the tide of revelations about their deeds. And this mars their preaching and religion as a whole. Merely the passion with which some churchmen lay claim to their posts is enough to separate them from the realm of the pure and holy and to plant them firmly in the secular world of intrigues… Some of the written, recorded or videotaped «documents» that have recently come to light are a by-product of this impassioned struggle for power among the churchmen’s ranks, disappointing believers who thought priests really wore a halo. And most of this «evidence» does not seem to have been cunningly obtained by intrepid reporters but rather to have been supplied by the losers of some hierarchical clash or others seeking revenge…
