The Sermon From Hell
The dean of Melbourne, Australia's St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Rev. Monsignor Geoffrey Baron, was recently relieved of his post for having repeatedly screamed obsceneties, racial epithets, and sexual slurs at a group of boys who were skateboarding outside the cathedral on church property. Granted, the boys were extremely rowdy, but the bishop's meltdown, captured on video by a cellphone and posted on YouTube, was downright shocking. More horrifying to me was the fact that in a poll, 31% of respondents found the cleric's behavior excusable, while another 12% were not sure. What does this say about people, when only slightly more than half of those polled, 56%, feel that there's something wrong with a bishop of the Catholic Church running around flailing his arms and screaming the f-word at a group of bad boys. There's some serious moral confusion going on here. So much for turning the other cheek. I'm happy to report, however, that Mon. Baron has joined the growing list that includes Paris Hilton, Mel Gilbson, Lindsay Lohan, and Don Imus, and apologized.
posted by John M Crowther @ 7:02 AM
9 Comments:
John... did you actually view the video clip? Perhaps the whole story should be told...
I am in no way siding with the Monsignor... (who certainly behaved very badly and should have known better) but he was clearly set up and provoked! These were not sweet young boys having an innocent game with their skateboards on the cathedral steps... they were an orchestrated group of criminal thugs there for the express purpose of capturing on film the response they had so effectively elicited.
The Monsignor should not have been the only one apologising in my opinion... he was not the only one screaming obscenities racist and sexist slurs... the boys were giving as good as they got or better... the priest only going viral after the boys shoved him and came at him initially with(inaudible)inflammatory remarks and expletives.
They set the scene... and he reacted on cue! You have to ask the question... if it wasn't a set-up why was someone filming it?
The sad thing is that those boys got away with it. Who now will be next to be provoked and prodded and coerced into saying and doing things they will afterwards regret.
There are no excuses for the Monsignor's behaviour... but he is just a man... not superman... and certainly not God. I defy anyone to have turned the other cheek on this occasion.
As for the boys... I feel like wringing their scrawny little necks!
Yes, I did view the clip, Jean. Actually, had I not seen it I probably would have been less judgmental about the monsignor, because I wouldn't have known how insane his meltdown was. There's no question the boys were a pack of jackals, and ought to face the consequences of their attack, but questions still abound. I suspect there was a history of bad blood between the church and the local boys which led to this particular incident. Nevertheless, the monsignor's behavior may have been understandable to many (though not me), but excusable? Not possible. The f-word screamed over and over by a man of the cloth, homophobic references, racial slurs? And not just a few words that slipped out. It was insanity, a vile public display of extended un-Christian rage, and the monsignor had ample opportunity to turn around, go back inside the church, and think about what to do next. The boys baited the trap, yes, but the monsignor took it in a way I wouldn't excuse if it had been the owner of the corner "beef and barf" pub.
He struck me as being a man very much on the edge... (and it's really scarey to see someone so TOTALLY lose it) And who knows what else had gone on between the two before this disgraceful event.
I entirely agree... the Monsignor's behaviour was terrible... and inexcusable... but so was the behaviour of the thugs that knowingly provoked it. And if I heard rightly... the f word was screamed back over and over along with accusations of pedophilia etc.
accompanied by the self satisfied sniggering of the perpetrators in the background!
By focussing attention on the sins of the father... the sons get off scot-free. What message does this send to all involved... as well as those who were unfortunate enough to have witnessed the incident online.
Remember... even Jesus lost it on the steps of the Tabernacle... throwing out the merchants who were plying their trade in God's house. I doubt he would have used the same terminology but the same sentiment was no doubt there! LOL
Gosh, Jean, I don't think I can make that leap, comparing the moral outrage of Jesus when faced with the usurers to the anger management problems of the Right Rev. Monsigner Baron. Yes, the hooligans were disgusting, and vile, and their actions certainly can't be condoned. But that's not what concerns me. I'm far more troubled by the moral confusion of people who so identify with the "victim" that they've missed the entire point of two thousand years of Christian teaching, which is the monsignor's primary responsiblity. And BTW, I certainly don't lay the blame for this failure at the monsignor's doorsteps, not when Cardinal Mahoney of Los Angeles has been so active in covering the tracks of sexual predators, ie. rapists, and the Pope has reassigned Cardinal Lay of Boston to a cushy, highly respected job in Rome.
Holy Hannah, here we go again. While the Monsignor should have kept his cool, he is also, only a human. I did not see the tape so will not comment on that aspect. However, I believe the Pope and the church has not addressed the sexual abuse situation correctly. Although, I do not believe that the church should pay millions to each victim, I do think that those priests who are guilty should be punished to the full extent of the law and the victims should have their medical bills paid in full. Some how I lose sympathy with victims of the church who insisted on gettings millions of dollars in compensation. Have seen some of the interviews on TV and not sure I believe all of them. What happened was a terrible wrong and the Pope has gone about correcting the matter in the worse way, however, please keep in mind that the priests are humans and not saints.
The "human frailty" of priests isn't the issue here, I think, Lee, it's the moral failure of the church at every level. Monsignor Baron did not "lose his cool." If you had seen the footage you would have seen a man gone berserk, a man who turned his back totally on everything he was supposed to stand for. But again, that's not what I'm addressing, nor am I talking about chld abuse. I'm concerned with the church's failure as evidenced by people's willingness to excuse behavior that is utterbly inexcusable given the basic tenets of civility and decency that is supposed to be one of the supporting pillars of Christianity.
QUOTE:I'm far more troubled by the moral confusion of people who so identify with the "victim" that they've missed the entire point of two thousand years of Christian teaching, which is the monsignor's primary responsiblity.UNQUOTE
I don't identify with either one... finding the behaviour of both parties abhorrant and incomprehensible.
John... I believe people are still capable of figuring it out for themselves. It's been quite a while since congregations (the world over) have been able to look to their local priest for moral guidance. The past ineptitude of the Church in dealing with issues of abuse and corruption has put an end to that.
However... I think we must have faith that people will see this for what it is... (sadly)just one more nail in the coffin for the Christian "religion" as such.
The Christian "faith" however remains alive and well in the hearts minds and souls of Christians everywhere. They don't necessarily need the structure of religion (the church/or priest) to validate it and keep their faith. But this is just my opinion... and I am sure there will be others who feel differently :-)
I didn't see the film and don't plan to. But on a lighter note I remember a saying from my Chicago boyhood. " A priest needs a good car" No matter how poor the parish. roger
Jean, you've put your finger on the heart of the matter quite accurately, I think.
Thanks, Roger, for the "lighter note." I love it.
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