"American bishops and cardinals have to do something to regain the moral high ground they deservedly lost, having reigned during the largest scandal in the history of the American Church. They let child molesters run rampant for decades, tried to cover up their crimes then bankrupted their diocese –- and now the hierarchy wants to dole out advice about border security, crime and 'justice'?
The Church absolutely needs to re-establish its moral authority. Even the most conservative of Catholics must understand that Church teaching on whatever your pet subject is, whether it be abortion, war, or economic justice, is futile given the erosion of confidence in the institution itself. Part of the recovery is reacting properly to the church abuse scandals. This may or may not be occurring. But part of that is also actively taking its role as a moral teacher.
To do this, the Church should probably shy away from making potentially sex-related issues a priority for a while, to combat a perception that Christians are sex-obsessed or sexual hypocrites. This doesn't mean that the Church should abandon its teachings on issues such as abortion or homosexuality (or euthaniasia, which seems to be perceived by some as an abortion proxy more than anything else), only that it should work on other issues to build up its moral authority so that people will actually listen on other issues.
When speaking to Americans, what are some salient issues with moral dimensions? War, torture, capital punishment, immigration, economic justice. (7:41 PM)
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