> Why would newspapers carry on a vendetta on one of
> the most important institutions that we have today
> in the United States, namely the Catholic Church?
>  
> Do you know - the Catholic Church educates 2.6
> million students everyday at the cost to your Church
> of 10 billion dollars, and a savings on the other
> hand to the American taxpayer of 18 billion dollars.
> Your graduates go on to graduate studies at the rate
> of 92%, all at a cost to you. To the rest of the
> Americans it's free.
>  
> The Church has 230 colleges and universities in the
> U.S. with an enrollment of 700,000 students. The
> Catholic Church has a non-profit hospital system of
> 637 hospitals, which account for hospital treatment
> of 1 out of every 5 people - not just Catholics - in
> the United States today.
>  
> But the press is vindictive and trying to totally
> denigrate in every way the Catholic Church in this
> country. They have blamed the disease of pedophilia
> on the Catholic Church, which is as irresponsible as
> blaming adultery on the institution of marriage. Let
> me give you some figures that you as Catholics
> should know and remember. For example, 12% of the
> 300 Protestant clergy surveyed admitted to sexual
> intercourse with a parishioner; 38% acknowledged
> other inappropriate sexual contact in a study by the
> United Methodist Church, 41.8 % of clergywomen
> reported unwanted sexual behavior; 17% of laywomen
> have been sexually harassed. Meanwhile, 1.7% of the
> Catholic clergy has been found guilty of pedophilia.
> 10% of the Protestant ministers have been found
> guilty of pedophilia. This is not a Catholic
> Problem.
>  
> A study of American priests showed that most are
> happy in the priesthood and find it even better than
> they had expected, and that most, if given the
> choice, would choose to be priests again in face of
> all this obnoxious PR the church has been receiving.
>  
> The Catholic Church is bleeding from self-inflicted
> wounds. The agony that Catholics have felt and
> suffered is not necessarily the fault of the Church.
> You have been hurt by a small number of wayward
> priests that have probably been totally weeded out
> by now.
>  
> Walk with your shoulders high and you head higher.
> Be a proud member of the most important
> non-governmental agency in the United States. Then
> remember what Jeremiah said: "Stand by the roads,
> and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the
> good way is and walk in it, and find rest for your
> souls". Be proud to speak up for your faith with
> pride and reverence and learn what your Church does
> for all other religions. Be proud that you're a
> Catholic.
>  Reprinted excerpts with permission of the Buckeye
> Bulletin - courtesy of Brookside Council #3297,
> Cleveland Diocese.
>  
>  
>