For today's sermon on courage, I would like the church to open its King James Bibles to Matthew 27:24: “When Pilate saw that he could not prevail anything, but that a tumult was done rather, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: to see.”
While Pontius Pilate knew that Jesus was an innocent man, the Roman governor authorized his crucifixion largely because he was afraid of appearing unfair to Caesar and losing power.
The constitutional crisis in which our country is currently can be new in America, but as we see in the Gospel of Matthew, the wreckage caused by the political opportunity began in ancient times.
This brings us to St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, an online confessional charter school in Oklahoma which requires public funding, a decision to be determined by the United States Supreme Court this year. Last summer, the Supreme Court of the State rejected the contract that St. Isidore had with Oklahoma. However, Governor Kevin Stitt opposed, affirming in a statement: “I am worried about having sent us a disturbing message according to which religious groups are second class participants in our educational system.”
Now let me tell you what interests me: 2019 Audits of the Catholic Church in Oklahoma This revealed that allegations of abuse against 22 clerics are supported. The predators who are allegedly responsible for child care were systematically transferred by superiors from one state to another from 1960 to 2018.
“The long and the court is that you trusted us, and we failed,” the Archbishop of Oklahoma City wrote, Paul Coakley, in a public letter following reports. “I am also sorry for the complicity and negligence of those who have not adequately responded to the relationships of abuse, for any reason, whether they are bishops, priests, deacons, religious or lay people representing the Church.”
While the Catholic leaders of Oklahoma were applauded for having recognized the past failures, this did not protected the Church against millions of prosecution in these allegations and others. In fact, in 2022, 10 current and former students brought a legal action of $ 75 million accusing the Mount St. Mary Catholic High School in Oklahoma City to promote “a rape culture”, claiming that the school “did not take reasonable measures to report or stop the culture of rampant rape and the ongoing sexual abuses”. A federal judge rejected the case in 2023 because the limitation period had exhausted – and not on the merits of allegations.
These are only recent titles of a state. From 2004 to 23, the Catholic Church paid more than $ 5 billion to settle Cases of sexual abuse followed by the American conference of Catholic bishops and certain American religious communities.
Whatever you take others from these examples and statistics, this is clear: the Catholic Church does not hurt money. I can't help but ask myself why taxpayers on earth would be necessary to finance Catholic schools.
It is not that I am against denominational education. My son attended a private Christian school. But I am against any attempt to demolish the wall between the church and the state. Just turn towards the example of Pontius Pilate to see what can happen when secular power tries to exercise control over religious life.
History is full of sufficient evidence to warn us far from this mixture. We don't need a case of Oklahoma test to prove the point.
In 1534, when England adopted the act of supremacy, King Henri VIII became the supreme leader of the Church of England, breaking with the papacy. Because Henry wanted to divorce his first wife, the pope's reign had become … annoying.
The king put pressure on the officials of the English Church who better knew to make him the religious leader as well as the monarch. And when Henry's second wife did not produce heir, he executed it so that he could marry a third woman. He did not face any consequences. For what? Political opportunity. Parliament washed the hands of the controversy, because the legislators could say that the king was above the law and above the Church. And as with Pontius Pilate, history shows that the attempt to contradict responsibility was futile.
The people who founded the United States tried to leave this tangle behind and corruption behind. They adopted the 1st amendment to keep the government outside of religious life and keep religion outside the government.
For taxpayers, to finance a religious school, would bring us back to tyranny.
This week, the deputy chief of staff of the White House, Stephen Miller, said that he wanted the children of the country “learning to love America”. I agree. And it starts with the protection of America to become a theocracy.