rec·on·cile
ˈrekənˌsīl/
verb
1.restore friendly relations between.
Dear readers:
Roger and Bernie worked together for many years. That is to say, they worked for the same big company. Their careers migrated through the layers and the stifling infrastructure. The atmosphere stank of tradition that changed not in weeks or months but over decades if at all, and it was in this arena that they toiled daily for the greater good. Company first.
As they rose through the ranks, they confronted vexing issues on a daily basis. All managers do. The challenges placed at their feet had deep impacts and they were looked to constantly for guidance and support. They accepted the challenges and they made their decisions. Men of action rise in this company. The “A” players move forward and the “C” players stay back.
They each ascended to the pinnacle of their profession and took their seats in the office within about one year of each other in the mid 80s. They had arrived.
Of course, the office commands great respect and comes with great responsibility. But they knew what they were in for. They were there because they knew how to manage through problems and get things done.
Interestingly, both men soon found themselves in the pit of the most challenging problem. It is unclear to me whether they ever talked about it with each other. That may not have been necessary, for they were well-groomed in the tradition of the organization. They knew the rules.
They confronted the problem head on. Members of their respective divisions were being accused of acts egregious behavior. And so Roger and Bernie swung into action. They quickly marshaled their resources, gathered all the relevant facts, consulted with their teams, and analyzed the proper and most effective responses. Then they did the worst thing imaginable.
They tried to save the company, protect the offenders and themselves, keep up the cash flow and discredit those that stood wavering in weakened bodies and wildly tarnished, recurring nightmares.
We can look back on this now with the benefit of the notes and meetings and insight that history shares with us. At the time and for nearly fifteen years, only Roger and Bernie, some of their superiors, and their legal teams knew the depth of the problem. And to many of the victims, it must have seemed like Bernie and Roger did nothing. The unfortunate truth was they did a lot. And they did so with intention…with blatant and unbridled intention in the direction of protecting the company and harming the innocent.
You must guess by now that Roger and Bernie were fired. They cost their company more than $750 million and crushed or negatively affected thousands of lives. Surely the head of this organization would not stand for this incompetence and deceit.
In July, the new head of the company, Pope Francis, decided that it was high time that things like sexual molestation of a minor and child prostitution would be crimes if they occurred on Vatican grounds.
Excuse me? Those acts were legal up until July 2013? Well, he really is pushing the envelope. What a breath of fresh air.
I’m depressed (horrified, really) to note that things are still kind of OK for Roger and Bernie. They were kind of fired. And i do mean kind of. Today they each are resting comfortably, still under the umbrella and welcoming and protecting arms of the company.
Perhaps their new boss could take a few moments away from soaking in the praise as the reformer, to do what should have been done so very long ago. Act with intention towards Roger Mahony and Bernie Law, only this time with the interests of the victims at the fore.
I learned that all Cardinals in the Catholic Church have a motto. Roger Mahony’s is as follows:
To reconcile God’s people
I have a response for Roger (and Bernie too):
I don’t think so.
observationally yours
…
http://www.bishop-accountability.org
http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/11/world/europe/vatican-child-abuse/index.html
http://www.crisismagazine.com/2013/the-brazen-clericalism-of-cardinal-mahony
Observationally Yours 