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Jesuitical

We need to talk about Clericalism

Jesuitical

America Media

News, News Commentary, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.7 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 20 November 2020

⏱️ 51 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The release of the McCarrick report has once again brought the church’s sex abuse crisis back to the headlines—and once again Catholics are asking: What is the root cause? Clericalism, writes Sam Sawyer, S.J., a Jesuit priest and our colleague at America Media. While we may not know what drive any individual person to abuse, he believes the McCarrick report confirms that clericalism explains how Theodore McCarrick was able to rise through the ranks of the hierarchy despite persistent rumors of sexual misconduct.  We ask Sam how clericalism plays both at the Vatican and in our own parishes, and what priests and laypeople alike can do to root it out.  In Signs of the Times, we discuss the U.S. bishops’ general assembly and the creation of a new working group to address what Archbishop José Gomez called the “difficult and complex situation” they see in Joe Biden—the second Catholic president in U.S. history. How should the bishops engage the Biden administration on issues like abortion and religious liberty? Links from the show: U.S. bishops express concern over a having a Catholic president who is pro-choice The McCarrick Report confirms it: Clericalism powered the sex abuse crisis. What’s on tap? Boulevardiers: 1 ½ ounces bourbon, ¾ ounce sweet vermouth, ¾ ounce Campari. Twist of orange peel, for garnish Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Are you interested in sharing your skills and witnessing your Catholic faith in a global setting?

0:05.0

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0:10.0

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0:16.2

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0:20.8

We need teachers, accountants, health care professionals, grant writers, IT specialists, and much more.

0:27.0

To learn about opportunities to serve, visit lay Mission helpers.org or contact us at program at lay Mission Helpers.org.

0:37.2

Join us and be the of American media.

0:55.8

That lay part means we aren't Jesuits, but we work with them.

0:58.8

Join us each week for a smart Catholic take on faith culture in the news often over drinks. I'm

1:04.0

Ashley the Kimless and I'm joined by Zach Davis. Hello Ashley it's good to be with you

1:07.8

good to be with you Zach how you doing? It's good. The world's still falling apart

1:12.3

but otherwise I mean like just dealing with the...

1:16.8

I feel like this has been the first week in a while without like a...

1:19.5

I mean besides like the major crisis that has been going on for months but like no acute new big stories that have kept me up all night

1:28.0

Yeah, no, there's just the pandemic which is still simmering and raging back. Yeah, but we're post election, post McCaric report.

1:35.4

So.

1:35.9

That doesn't mean we're not going to keep talking about both of those things.

1:39.0

That's right.

1:39.8

Who are we talking to this week, Ashley?

1:41.4

We are talking to Father Sam Sawyer. He's our colleague here at America. He's a senior

1:47.0

editor and our unofficial chief technology officer. He's the one to call when your laptop is broken. But he also wrote a really

1:56.8

great piece for America magazine last week titled The McCarick Report Confirms

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