WHAT’S THE POINT?
Evidently Stephanie Collopy had never heard that song prior to her meeting with a young seminarian named Arturo Uribe.
It was 1991 and she reputedly had a seven-month affair with the young Uribe, which resulted in the birth of child. No great news there. Young men are hardly known for restraint in all matters sexual.
What makes this newsworthy is the way in which the Catholic church responded. Ms. Collopy sued for child support. A natural and understandable action on behalf of her newborn child.
The church turned the lawsuit over to their risk assessment lawyers for defense.
They responded with several defenses, claiming negligence on her part, in that she was engaging in unprotected sex and should have known better. Just to make it a delicious irony, they had the nerve to suggest that she should have used contraception in order to prevent the birth.
The Catholic church is staunchly opposed to contraception, even in the face of a vast health crisis. It claims that it is an infallible moral law that contraception is a mortal sin. A mortal sin is one that is against God’s or Divine law.
Irony abounds in this case. This child was created by a man who was so enamored with the love of Christ and God that he was studying to be a Catholic priest.
“You can fool with your brother — But don’t mess with a missionary man.’” — — The Eurythmics
The church entered into a settlement agreement to provide child support. The Catholic church, which would rank in the middle of the Fortune 500 if it were a business, took in $8 billion in 2003 from parishioners. This vast enterprise, with its orders from Christ to “give to the poor” in John 12:5, agreed to a $323 a month for a child with chronic asthma and other health problems, with no health insurance.
Father Uribe has never seen his child, therefore one can safely presume that this single mother has had to provide daycare of some sort, and has not had any sizable relief from the burdens of child rearing.
Last month, Ms. Collopy took the father back to court, seeking an increase in her support, and health insurance for her child. Father Uribe has taken a vow of poverty as part of his priestly vows, which means that the church provides all his food and lodging, and gives him $100 a month.
As a consequence of the low income, and his vow of poverty, the judge was unable to order an increase in the child support. Where are the loud and vociferous cries for Traditional Family Values, a child needing a father and a mother?
Well, in the Catholic church, when you are an Archbishop, and one of your charges causes a scandal, the church does the only logical thing it can — the Archbishop in charge during the 1994 lawsuit was promoted, and is now the prefect of the Vatican’s congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith — the same post that was occupied by Pope Benedict XVI, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger.
This action is highly reminiscent of Cardinal Bernard Law, who was conveniently transferred to Rome, after that little scandal in Boston caused such a stir. I’m not saying the Christians are the problem. Same goes for the Jews, the Muslims, the Hindus, the Bahai, the Druids, the Wiccans, the Mormons, the Scientologists and even the Elvis faithful.
The problem is the hypocrisy. The arrogant smugness of those who “know better” for everyone.
I wouldn’t mind it so much if they had the internal fortitude to live by the standards they want everyone else to live by, but they don’t. They pontificate, and then they prevaricate, and when they are exposed for their own shortcomings, they hide behind a smokescreen of “Jesus Saves,” or “I’m not perfect — just forgiv-en.” What a crock! They should exercise more of their forgiveness and less self-righteousness.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 9, 2005. Read the original PDF.