Why Catholics should watch being too cynical

The Catholic Church is big. And it's old. As a singular institution, it is the oldest in the world. It is also one of the largest. Over one billion people call themselves Catholic. Only Islam is larger. Unlike Islam, the Catholic Church traces itself to one source, one authority, one hierarchy. That makes it tough on the Church if we consider its faults. After all, an institution that probably has had close to 2 billion people walk through its doors in almost 2000 years, is going to have some bad apples. Take for instance this little story out of Mexico. Now Mexico has been, and continues to be, one of the most corrupt nations on earth. This isn't something that just began. One of the arguments, quite valid I should add, against simple amnesty is the problem with corruption. If Mexico can just shuttle its unwanted up to us, where is its own motivation to change? But that's for another post.

In this little gem of a story, we have a Catholic chapel. Rumor has it that drug money from a powerful drug lord is at least partially responsible for its building. In a way reminiscent of medieval lords who donated cathedrals and monasteries to make amends for their bloodshed, this chapel has found its source in blood money. Or so they think. And investigation is ongoing.

What struck me was the usual suspects: unaware bishops, priests willing to turn a blind eye to Catholic teaching about such things as consequentialism, and parishioners who don't even care. There's a reason why the Church has suffered horrible public relations nightmares in the last decade, and these are some of the reasons why.

And yet, this is a single Church in Mexico. How does it impact the whole Church? Easy, because the whole Church is seen as one, each time any part of its members sins, it suddenly tarnishes the whole. Think of the priest abuse scandal. There isn't a person in the world with their head on straight who believes Catholic priests are somehow more likely to abuse children than anyone else. Or who thinks the problem is uniquely Catholic. Or even believes that the Church is worse than any other organization.

But its single structure, its touting of itself as one, big, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, sometimes swims around and bites it in the rear. Especially in a world where there are plenty of people ready to believe the absolute worst about the Catholic Faith. Even optimists can find their faith in the leadership of the Church stretched to the limit. How much easier for those who already have axes to grind.

All of this is to say that Catholics should remember, when we see stories like this, that they should not reflect on the whole Church. Even when there is a pattern, it looks worse than it is - sometimes. That's not to say the Church doesn't have problems. I've said if the Church were a business, it would have gone bankrupt ages ago. But it is to say we should keep it in perspective, look at the facts and the context, and not jump to the most cynical conclusion. Of course, truth be told, Catholics should also resist jumping to the most cynical conclusions about non-Catholic issues and organizations as well, starting with things like our country, our government, our schools, or whatever. We can certainly criticize, and where evidence is overwhelming, call a spade a spade. But the conclusion should be fact based, not based on a cynicism that, if applied to the Catholic Church, would make any reasonable person think twice about ever listening to its proclamations again.