Yesterday we were asked to submit a new doc - working with children check certificate. All who work with children are to submit this according to the new legislation of Victoria Govt. However, it starts with priests and religious! We have to submit it before this Friday, but others - child care workers, medical persons, etc - will get another few months.
When this news was announced in the community, there was grim silence. It somehow implied 'the sins of our Fathers".
It's a good thing that we are concerned about children. We r all really concerned abt them. But I see the things take a different shape with all these kinds of 'reactions' from the State. The implication is very clear: "the state/society does not trust church/clergy anymore regarding children".
The result: The clergy and the church are getting lesser and lesser interested in child formation or in helping family (values). Here in Australia, there are no more Sunday schools or catechism classes. Some catholic schools may offer value education and religions classes, thats all. Only less than 10 percent are practicing Christians. No more child or youth associations in the parishes. Which means the next generations is coming up with almost zero religious formation and awareness.
How do their values take shape? The state provides them in the schools! (more than 50% of marriages are broken and most of the children live with single parents! We cannot expect those children to get any 'value' from their families). The state cares! what will be the 'state care'? As far as I know its 'market values'. The values driven by the market - consumerism, individualism, distorted nationalism and so on..
The Church is virtually cut off from the next generation, by all sorts of legislations (and of market forces). It seems that somebody wants it to be like that to serve their personal interests.
any way, I have submitted my doc today with other 5 priests living with me. Let's wait and see, whats going to happen. God save the state!
1 comment:
This should not really come as a surprise for any of us living in the western countries. There is so much of child abuse going on that there is no way but to doubt everyone. That is precisely what the state is doing. Let alone faith and religious formation, there is very little humanity left in the cases that are so common in these countries. The church that is supposed to symbolise goodness in every way has been the cause of termoil for many innocent kids. All stories that are hyped about may not be true but some of them are. The point is that if you are hurt by someone from whom you expect a possibility of hurt, it doesn't shock you as much as it does when you expect something good and are instead hurt. The position of the clergy and religious has always been one where the acts of few speak for the whole. And that's what the people perceive. It may not be completely right but it is probably an opportunity for the religious to continue the good works with undying optimism. The faith that people have lost in them may take a long time to come back but as they say actions surely speak louder than words.
Post a Comment