Creative chaos
If past is prologue, the Church scandal wave will ebb with time; but the implicated figures will hardly escape unscathed. Still, there are exceptions. The allegations could snowball and make way for radical changes. In the Church scandal, it was widely sensed from early on that any disclosures would be far-reaching, if only because the heady mix of gay sex, money, judges, secret agents, intrigue and priests is irresistible to the media. The archbishop claims that he and the Church are the target of sinister forces. The claim would perhaps hold some water had he shown a clear will to purge the Church of its cancer cells. Rather, he chose to disguise himself; but the veil has been lifted, blackening him further. The Church leader only managed to isolate himself from the sole potential pool of support: the public. Without doubt, his political ambitions and awkward sound bites have won him many a critic at home and abroad. Hence, one should not rule out the hand of outside forces. The widespread corruption, the unethical conduct, the mutual denunciations and the dirty tricks have rendered the Hierarchy a vulnerable target, while fierce competition among the greedy media leaves little room for tracing the ulterior motives behind the leaks. The blurry context paves the way for public manipulation via the broadcast of selective tidbits – especially as both government and opposition have been noticeably silent out of self-interest. The failure of the legal system to clean up corruption leaves society at the mercy of such unhealthy phenomena. In a way, this vindicates a type of journalism that often verges on human rights violations. We must hope that the present chaos will prove constructive, that the crisis will lead to positive changes and not irreparable damage. Much will depend on whether those implicated will step down, opening the door to a far-reaching cleanup effort.
