Taking part in any faith community isn't easy. It doesn’t matter if you’re Catholic, Baptist, Evangelical, Muslim, Episcopalian, or part of any other religion. For most people, religion is an immensely important part of life, and it requires being part of a broader congregation with organized leadership.
Right now, the Catholic community of New Orleans is reeling.
Many of you are already aware of the ongoing scandal between Second Harvest Food Bank and the Archdiocese of New Orleans, where details came to light about how the church pressured Second Harvest board members and executives to lend $16 million of the non-profit's funds to pay for settlements of sexual abuse victims of the Catholic church.
Then, upon receiving pushback, Archbishop Aymond began firing people.
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Keep in mind that not a single instance of abuse is tied to Second Harvest; that’s on record. There are multiple degrees of separation between the charity and the Archdiocese.
Many folks I’ve spoken to about this are devastated. I’ve received texts from multiple people basically stating, “I still have faith in God. But faith in the church? Faith in the people who run it? Not anymore.”
It’s nothing short of tragic. Especially in this instance, because one arena where the Catholic church dependably shines is in its commitment to feed, clothe, and house the hungry and destitute.
There’s a verse in the Bible, James 3:1, that reads, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.”
Now, I’m no preacher. But I have been involved in leadership roles for a long time. If you ask me, the meaning of this verse is playing out in real time. The leaders of the Archdiocese of New Orleans have failed, and their failure must be judged with severe strictness.
Part of the weight of this tragedy is that Catholic leaders had a chance to rectify their systemic failure to protect children in their church from sexual abuse. They had a chance to take the long hard road of building back trust in the aftermath of such unspeakable and irreversible horrors.
But what did they do instead? In the case of the Second Harvest, they allowed so much pain from the initial scandal that blew up in 2018 to return right back to the surface.
As I said, it’s no easy task to commit to a faith community. And having to grapple with the reality of your church trying to manipulate funds dedicated to feeding the mouths of the hungry, especially after sticking with the church through a time of great pain and doubt, can feel like a kick to the gut when you're already down.
The pain reaches further than just Catholics. Because all those who’ve donated their money and volunteered their time to Second Harvest these years are also feeling like they’ve been slapped in the face.
So what should happen now? I think the answer is hard but simple. I think the pain here runs so deep, the trust so fractured, that the Archdiocese attempting to make amends at this point simply isn’t realistic.
I think they need to heed the words of Hebrews 13:16 which says, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” I want to underscore that part about sacrifice.
I think the Archdiocese needs to make that sacrifice and walk away from Second Harvest. They need to let the organization continue to pursue its mission, the mission which it has so dutifully carried out for decades, without the burden of staying embroiled in the wrongdoings and failures of the Catholic church.
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