Jesus of Nazareth and children, 1
THERE i s one overriding unassailable truth that stands above all else in the teaching of the founder of Christianity, Jesus of Nazareth.
The truth that 2.382 billion Christians, including 1.329 billion Roman Catholics, have supposedly bound themselves to accept and obey is that children are the most important in the Kingdom of God.
To accept, recognize and affirm a child with that exalted status and dignity is to accept Jesus himself. That’s what he said and taught and for which he gave his life. He stood a child before them and declared, “Unless you change and become as innocent as this little child, you will never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. The greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven is the one who humbles himself and becomes like this child, and whoever welcomes in my name one such child, welcomes me.” (Matthew 18:1-5)
That teaching astounded the leaders of Palestine in his day where they had rejected Jesus and thereby rejected all children. For them the child, especially girls, had no status at all. They were non-persons.
Jesus demanded that they and all the poor be affirmed, respected and their rights fully recognized. The leaders in Jerusalem rejected that and branded Jesus a subversive, a rebel and killed him for it. Let’s remember that every time we look upon a crucifix.
It seems like some modern clerical prelates are doing the same. As we celebrate on Oct. 11 the International Day of the Girl Child, we recognize their sacred dignity and God-given rights but we are also hit with more outrageous clerical child abuse revelations.
The latest is the horrific and stupefying revelation about the
French church and child sexual abuse by 3,000 priests and male church officials this past week when “a devastating report found that at least 330,000 children were victims of sexual abuse by clergy and lay members of church institutions over t he past 70 years… t hat staggering number of children were subjected to sexual violence by priests and clergy while the crimes were covered up in a ‘systemic way’ by a deliberate ‘ veil of silence’ in the church. The president of the investigative committee, Jean-Marc Sauvé, told a press conference: ‘Until the early 2000s the Catholic Church showed a profound and even cruel indifference towards the victims.’” (The Guardian)
We have seen similar shocking reports and revelations in most western countries in recent years. Our first response is to stand with the victims and survivors. We denounce the abuse and offer the victims help, support, understanding and robust legal assistance to bring the abusers to justice.
While we give the victims, girls and boys (many now older) comfort, help and compensation, we must pursue legal action against the abusers and their enablers.
q Children are the most important in the Kingdom of God.