7.  FEAR Fear paralyzes all levels of the church community. Donald Cozzens in the introduction to Sacred Silence (Note 6.1) says that a U.S. Archbishop asked him rhetorically, “What are we afraid of?” Cozzens says the question is anything but rhetorical.  He goes on to say there are deeper questions:
		“Why are we afraid? Why is the institutional church so defensive? Why is it so controlling? How is it that a church that is the bearer of the Word and the champion of the oppressed can maintain unholy silences while denying that obvious pastoral and ecclesial problems, indeed crises, even exist?”
	Someone once said, and I have no reason to disbelieve it, that the Bible’s most repeated phrase is: Don’t be afraid. The most likely reason is that fear is so much a part of being human. It’s necessary for survival— physical, psychological, and political. The hierarchy doesn’t have a monopoly on fear.  Fear extends to priests and laity as well. What the Hierarchy Fears.  What are church officials afraid of?  Here’s my list: •        Scandal. The attitude is: avoid scandals at all costs. Paradoxically, covering up a terrible scandal has left us with the mother of all scandals. •        The truth. Even though the truth will make them free, the pope and the bishops are afraid of the truth. They don’t want the truth about sex abuse of minors by priests to see the light of day. They have covered up and are continuing to cover up these crimes. They are covering up the cover-up. They cover up because they have placed the reputation and assets of the church ahead of children’s safety, ahead of God. They cover up because they can: their authoritarian power and the laity's indoctrinated passivity facilitate covering up. They cover up because of clericalism, the mindset that sets priests above all others, including children. If you obey my teachings you are really my disciples; you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8.31). •        Blame and shame. As Sullivan aptly points out, nobody, but nobody, wants to take responsibility for their actions. Nobody wants to admit blame and suffer the terrible pain that comes with admitting wrongdoing. It’s a story as old as humankind. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, and he also ate it. As soon as they had eaten it, they were given understanding and realized that they were naked; so they sowed fig leaves together and covered themselves (Genesis 3.6).      •        Reprimands from Rome. This is a dread so strong that it controls like a cattle prod. Sullivan says, “Whether they are conscious of it or not, I believe our bishops have an absolute dread of a reprimand from Rome, a dread so strong that it can drown out even their honest concern for their higher obligation to the needs of their priests and people.”  (See Root Causes Number 1 and Number 2.) •        Conscience.  An old Chinese proverb says that conscience is the heart of Heaven. Acting on an informed conscience often takes courage. Here's what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said about courage and doing the right thing:
		Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" Vanity asks the question, "Is it popular?" But, conscience asks the question, "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right (Note 6.2).
	•        The fragility of the church. It is so fragile, the hierarchy thinks, that lying to protect it is OK. Admitting the truth, they believe, would be catastrophic for the church. The sin here is lack of faith in God, in the intelligence of the laity, and in the laity’s capacity for forgiveness. •        Loss of credibility and trust. If the hierarchy admits mistakes, the fear is credibility in matters of faith will be lost. The attitude is: never let them see you sweat (or smile or cry). •        Women priests. Opening up the closed, all-male club shatters the whole sick culture of clericalism and exposes the church’s history of oppression of women.     •        Criticism. The attitude is: criticizing a part implies condemnation of the whole. •        Reform groups. Groups like Voice of the Faithful, Call to Action, FutureChurch, and the Women’s Ordination Conference, to name a few, threaten the status quo and highlight issues the hierarchy would rather not discuss. •        The laity and the laity’s perceived lack of sophistication. The attitude is: “they can’t handle it.” And, to a great extent, they can't--because of immaturity, fear, and passivity. •        The consequences of acting responsibly. After all, heads might roll. Rape is a heinous crime, punishable by jail time. •        Criminal prosecution. Governor Keating said, rightfully in my non-lawyerly opinion, that some bishops are guilty of obstruction of justice. •        The glare of the media. Wrongdoing abhors the disinfecting power of the light of day. President Nixon was forced to resign and President Clinton was impeached because the media spotlighted their wrongdoing. •        Exacerbating the vocation crisis. The attitude is: we don’t have enough priests now. All this fear leads to a bunker mentality: they—the media, the laity—are out to get us. What Priests Fear.  What are priests afraid of?  Here’s my list: •        The truth. Priests cover up for other priests because they’re members of the exclusive clerical club. It’s better to cover up for another priest, another club member, than to report a crime •        Blame and shame. Abuser priests don’t want to take responsibility for their actions   •        Reprimands from the bishop. The priest takes a vow of obedience to the bishop.   •        Loss of a possible promotion. Common sense tells you an ambitious priest’s fear quotient is proportional to his ambition quotient. •        Loss of credibility and trust. The good priest is close to his people and he values greatly their credibility and trust. •        The consequences of acting responsibly. Snitching on another priest is a violation of the club’s unspoken rule: “all for one and one for all.” •        Outing. Gay priests are afraid of being outed. So are priests who have sexual relationships with women. "If you don't tell, I won't tell," is the deal, the conspiracy, sometimes spoken, sometimes not. What the Laity Fears. The fears of the laity vary depending on the person’s view of the church and whether you’re a conservative or liberal. Here’s my list.   •        Truth. The laity fears the truth about the pope, bishops, and priests because they have put too much faith in them. Idolatry and lack of faith apply here. As the interim Bishop of Phoenix purportedly said, “Don’t place your faith in priests or bishops.  Put your faith in God.” Good advice! •        Excommunication. This fear squelches dissent and free speech. It takes courage--and grace--to risk not only isolation, even ostracism by the community, but also, for the scrupulous, the fires of hell. •        Reprimand from the pastor or bishop. As an antidote, remember these guys put their pants on one leg at a time, just like you and me. •        Loss of sleep. Better to listen to conscience and lose some sleep now than to realize later that you were a part of the problem.    •        The consequences of acting responsibly. There are no free lunches. Taking action will exact a price. The question is: What's the price of inaction? •        Telling the emperor he has no clothes—even though he’s buck naked. Sometimes when all else fails, tell the truth. Courage.  Sullivan (Note 6.3) quotes the great Belgian Cardinal Leo Josef Suenens as lamenting, when Cardinal Alfred Ottaviani and the Curia intimidated the bishops at Vatican II: "Caution is everywhere. Courage is nowhere. And soon we shall all die of prudence!" It’s ironic that an institution that uses the fear of excommunication as the Damocles sword over the laity’s head to squelch dissent and free speech is itself paralyzed by fear in acting in its own ultimate self-interest.  What goes around comes around.  Those who live by the sword…. Conclusion.   The antidote to fear is courage.  Ultimately, courage comes from the head, the heart, the gut, the gonads, and the grace of God.
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