According to a deposition cited in this Anchorage Daily News story, Rev James Jacobson, S.J. couldn’t pay for the support of his four children because he needed the money for prostitutes.
Now that the Reverend is retired, he can revisit the mid-370s of Baltimore Catechism #2.
Now that the Reverend is retired, he can revisit the mid-370s of Baltimore Catechism #2.
373. Q. What is the seventh Commandment?
A. The seventh Commandment is: Thou shalt not steal.
374. Q. What are we commanded by the seventh Commandment?
A. By the seventh Commandment we are commanded to give to all men what belongs to them and to respect their property.
377. Q. Are we obliged to repair the damage we have unjustly caused?
A. We are bound to repair the damage we have unjustly caused.
As we’ve seen with five U.S. dioceses seeking the protection of civil bankruptcy to avoid such obligations, question 377 is a tough one for the Church.
San Diego diocese needs the money for its “mission and ministries.” Father Jacobson needed the money for prostitutes. From the victims’ point of view, it’s all the same thing.
It’s darkly humorous for us to see dogma twisted to fit self interest, but there’s plenty of pain for the people involved.
Overlooked in this kind of story, because of the sensational sex interest, is the utter failure of pastoral duty, not high falutin’ moral duty, but job-description type duty
Prostitution, for most women, is a necessity not a preference. Prostitution always has the overlay of economic exploitation. Prostitutes frequently have given up on life and suffer in hopelessness.
When a minister of the lord encounters a prostitute, his job is to offer assistance, not to ask, “How much?”
----- o -----
No comments:
Post a Comment