A priest writes: ‘Be angry. Be sad. Be disgusted. But do it rightly.’

The terrific Father Goyo Hidalgo from Simi Valley, California, posted this on his Facebook page. I think it deserves wider circulation:

To all those who keep on telling me, “You ALL priests knew about the scandals and did nothing.”

-NO, we didn’t. I didn’t. I have never known and I am not a naive person. In fact, I didn’t even know who McCarrick was until I heard of his horrible crimes.

-NO, I have never ever seen any of these things in seminary.

-The fact that you assume I knew and I did nothing, tells me that you don’t know me at all, because if you did, you would know I am very vocal and I say it like it is and I would have denounced anything had it happened when I was in seminary.

-NO, I don’t have any kind of power to make a bishop resign. Or to go to the Vatican and tell the Pope like it is. I am but a normal simple priest trying to be a saint. To help my parishioners as much as I can. To work for justice and mercy. To work through all of this with my people.

-and NO, just because I say this, it doesn’t mean I don’t feel pain for the victims of abuse, because I do. They are the real victims in all of this.

The vast majority of priests are NOT child molesters. I know many bishops who are amazing and WE TOO ARE ANGRY about these abuses. It is horrible and we feel outraged about it too.

So please, be angry. Be sad. Be disgusted. But do it rightly. Accusing of these crimes people who didn’t know and didn’t commit any of this, is not helping anyone even less the victims of abuse who deserve justice.

I, too, hate what’s happening. I hate that many were victims of clergy who abused them. THIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED. I hate that some priests have committed these horrible crimes, but I also love my Church, because I know that this is not a representation of the Church I love, but a horrendous disgusting action by some of the members who should have known much much better, and they never ever should have abused ANYONE, or covered the abuse.

So please, whether you are religious or not, whether you hate the Catholic Church or not, seek justice for the victims, be angry at those who committed these crimes, but also show a fair “judgement” with all those members of the church who didn’t know anything, who didn’t do anything, who are also disgusted about these abuses and who also want justice for victims and their abusers.

I know this is going to be very unpopular, but it had to be said.

It did. Thank you for saying it, Father.