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Oh, the joy of health! Oh the splendour of a temperature under 100 F! Oh, the horror of having to get dressed and leave the apartment. Oh, well. Today we had a meeting at St. Anne's about sexual misconduct. Not that there's been any complaints...it's just something that church leaders and volunteers have to do every three years. We discussed the basic issues, watched a video, talked over some things...your basic meeting. There wasn't anything new discussed, but it's always good to keep these issues in mind, and to be reminded of their importance. It's interesting how much people's awareness and perception has changed in the past few years. The video we watched wasn't that old, 2002 I would say, and yet the context was entirely different. It was essentially a series of scenes in which some form of sexual harassment, or a situation which had that potential, was acted out. Some of the scenes were introduced with the statement that "this one might be tough to spot." Well, not any more it isn't. We're all a lot more aware today of how actions can be interpreted, and misinterpreted. Perhaps that's the good, if any can be found, in the church sex abuse scandals. It's finally become common knowledge that religious leaders have immense emotional power over their congregations, (a power that is often conferred whether the clergy person wants it or not) and that such power can be used very badly. We need to be aware of these things, not just to avoid getting ourselves in trouble (although that's also part of it, since innocent intentions aren't always obvious) but in order to be better agents of God's love. All people, and clergy especially, have the charge to care for God's people and reflect the love of Christ. That love does not in any way include victimization or control or the misuse of power. If we really want to be Christ's body, we need to always be thinking of the safety and care of our vulnerable brothers and sisters. |
