Did Christ condemn paedophiles?
Our King James Bible, Matthew 18:5-10 has some strong words, namely, that anyone who shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. This seems to us to point to those priest paedophiles who have been unmasked after committing their criminal offences. Is this a likely interpretation?
Go back to the King James text, verse one, and you will see that our Lord’s disciples asked him who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus replied graphically by calling a child over to stand before him, and telling his disciples: Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Christ was aware that his disciples had been arguing about which one of them was to be the greatest in his kingdom, meaning here his kingdom on earth (see Luke 9:46-48). So he taught this lesson: they must have the simplicity of small children who are not ambitious to be the greatest.
When his disciples act in this way, demonstrating their complete trust in Christ, they are in a position to be pastors in Christ’s Church. Because of this they must avoid offending the other disciples, not only the little ones but also those grown-ups who unquestioningly have faith in Christ and his Church.
Obviously our Lord was impressing on his followers, particularly his leading disciples, the Apostles, that their responsibility was enormous. If any one of them should offend a simple believer, perhaps even causing one to lose faith altogether, it would be better for him to be totally removed from his duties as pastor so as to cause no more harm.
This, of course, rings bells as we regard the present scandals within the Church, but we cannot say that Christ was thinking specifically of paedophile priests only. We are all required to act with moral and spiritual integrity because our Lord demands it of his disciples.
It is when those with greater responsibility as our leaders and shepherds behave in a way that contradicts their sacred obligations, that the scandal appears so much more magnified and our sense of shame so much more traumatic.
- What is the Church’s Teaching on Original Sin? - December 7, 2024
- Three Are One: How Can I Explain the Holy Trinity? - July 2, 2024
- Where Did the Teaching of the Holy Trinity Come From? - May 21, 2024
