(St. Edmund's Church, England where Deacon Sean Murphy Serves)
By Deacon Sean Murphy
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the crime of sexual abuse of children and other vulnerable people at the hands of clergy, religious and others working in the name of the Church. I referred then to Pope Francis's verdict, in his
Letter to the People of God, that this appalling scandal, and the systematic covering-up of the crimes, was attributable to an over-concentration of power in the hands of clergy. 'Clericalism,' the Holy Father wrote, 'whether fostered by priests themselves or by lay persons... supports and helps to perpetuate many of the evils that we are condemning today. To say ''no'' to abuse is to say an emphatic ''no'' to all forms of clericalism.' His message was clear: the clergy's monopoly of power within the Church has to end.