the keepers

I just finished The Keepers recently. I didn't think I could dislike/distrust the hierarchy of the Catholic Church more than I already did, but I was wrong.

Sadly, the story told in The Keepers is just one of many similar stories that reflects an appalling level of abuse and secrecy within the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, and I'm having an even harder time than I was reconciling my spiritual life and community with the overarching institution informing it.

While I was eventually drawn towards Catholicism because of its deep, ecumenical, and spiritually-advanced contemplative tradition, its robust monastic tradition, and the open and welcoming community at St. Philip, my initial negative opinion of the institution itself stems from the following:

• The Catholic Church is inherently sexist. It bars women from authoritative leadership roles in the church even though there's absolutely zero physical or spiritual barriers preventing women from performing them, and despite Paul's admonishment that, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28). They can't be pope. They can't be bishops. They can't be priests. They can't be deacons. They're not even allowed to give reflections during mass.
• The church has covered up numerous instances of physical and sexual abuse throughout the world, hiding abusive priests, trying to silence victims through settlements, and fighting against laws that would make prosecuting offenders easier. This is beyond unconscionable.
• The church discriminates against LGBTQ individuals. It calls their lifestyle sinful and fights against equal rights, like the right to marry. And I personally find this untenable, both in terms of my own personal convictions and in terms of the example of Jesus.
• The church is secretive and lacks any sort of real transparency.
• And this show refreshed my memory of all that. I felt real anger and disgust, and I definitely feel a lot better about my decision to stop giving money to the church itself (I still give to certain charities and communities, though). That doesn't mean I hate Catholicism as a whole; but I'm not a fan of the church's position on many of these issues, and I'm certainly not a fan of the corruption and appalling conduct exhibited by many within its leadership.

There are many things about this spiritual tradition I truly love and benefit from. But every dark corner of the church needs to have a light shined on it.