g88 10/8 From Our Readers
Clerical Misconduct
I and my friends were greatly offended by your June 22, 1987, article “Homosexuality and the Clergy.” What is the point of telling others that some clergymen, especially Catholics, are homosexuals? I am sure that the clergy of Jehovah’s Witnesses are not immune from the influence of sexual sin in our society.
I’ll admit that every priest is not a saint. But I’ll bet that the Church has a track record on fidelity to purity and the meaning of sexuality that would surprise many outsiders. As a Catholic, I at times point out errors of other religions. But I do not attack the personal integrity of their ministers. That is bigotry.
L. B., T.O.P., et al
St. Martin de Porres Dominican Community, United States
The point in telling others that some clergymen are immoral is the same point Jesus made in telling certain clergy of his time that they were “like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of . . . every kind of corruption. In the same way you appear to people from the outside like good honest men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23:27, 28, Catholic “Jerusalem Bible”) You are correct that Jehovah’s Witnesses’ elders are not completely immune from the influence of sexual sin. But the few who err are immediately removed from office for such. On the other hand, clerical misconduct in many churches often results only in “transfer” or “treatment” unless it becomes too scandalous. This was recently illustrated in a “New York Times” article of June 12, 1988, about several priests charged with child molestation, one of whom had “been in treatment for 10 years” while still serving in parishes.—ED.
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