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I was raised Catholic. Well, kind of. May parents weren't Catholics, but they sent us to Catholic School. Weird, I know, but whatever. I went to Saint Anne's School, on Queen Anne Hill, just above downtown Seattle, through the fifth grade. I can't remember now which is which, but I went through first communion, or confirmation, or possibly both (I'd have to look it up to recall for sure).
Anyway, the point is, I find myself wondering how much we can really change. Both we as people, and we as institutions. Personally, I know from experience that a person can change drastically over a lifetime. I've done so myself, but when it comes to institutions, I wonder.
Don't get me wrong, I think the Catholic Church does some wonderful things. But they do some pretty terrible things as well. I recently saw a horrifying documentary about the rampant sexual abuse within the church, called Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God, (which in Latin would mean, My Greatest Fault or Mistake) and it was of course sad to see the damage one sick person in a position of power can inflict on so many young people under his authority, but it was absolutely infuriating to be so exposed to the level of corruption that has for so long covered these crimes up and protected the interests of the church at the expense of the innocent.
Don't worry, this isn't that kind of post. If it was, we'd be here all day, but I did just want to say something about change, and I for one, as a recovering Catholic, hope the church can make a decision in the coming days that will be a change for the better. Maybe elect a young Pope? Or an African or Latin American one?
Please, whatever you must do, Cardinals, not another stuffy old white European.
