The Double-tongued

St. Paul, in his first letter to Timothy, exhorts deacons not to be “double-tongued”, a wonderfully literal and rich translation of the word dialogos. Writing as he is in the context of the qualifications he expects in those in ministry, St. Paul must have considered the trait of candor or plain-speaking as virtuous. Certainly, deceit and dissimulation are not. Thinking also of the scene of Pentecost as described by St. Luke, the tongues of fire which settled upon the Apostles are incredibly evocative, because it was upon the descent of the Spirit that the Apostles shed their fear, spoke plainly of the Resurrected Savior, and truly became “men on fire”. Those men, like many courageous and faithful men and women since, received the gift of the Spirit as a tongue of fire, because with their speech, they would illuminate the world, and burn through the thick, miasmatic air of error and unbelief.

How discouraging and different, then, was the release of this Tuesday’s long-awaited McCarrick report. To be perfectly honest, I don’t think I have any more room in my heart for anger or reproach for the man. As was even noted by the distinguished psychiatrist Dr. Fitzgibbons on Catholic World Report, what came across as most striking to me, aside from the perversity and duplicity of McCarrick and his cabal, was the sad, almost desperate loneliness and need for attention and affection that the former Cardinal McCarrick possessed. If it were not for the enormity and number of his misdeeds, he comes across as a profoundly pitiable individual. Even the fact that certain Church officials posited that ‘grounding’ the globe-trotting octogenarian had the possibility of inducing “psychosis” in him, reveals a lot about his own deep insecurity. He is a perfect example of Blaise Pascal’s belief that the source of the world’s problems is that people don’t know how to sit quietly in their rooms.

In my opinion, the real story of the document, which I spent a depressing Tuesday afternoon reading in full (unlike the reporters of the Associated Press), is the explosion of malignant narcissism and clericalism in the top brass of the Catholic Hierarchy, even as some of these same men after the Vatican Council pontificated to us on the virtues of being close to people, and on their level. I also find it singularly repulsive that one of the most influential architects of the deeply flawed Dallas Charter was himself a serial predator. “Justice for thee, but not for me,” his behavior screamed. Even as he poisoned the priest-bishop relationship for the entire American Church in the name of protecting the institution and children, he was guilty of a real spiritual incest. I know my fellow conservatives will once again lament the homosexuality and the pederasty of the man. I strongly urge commentators and readers not to become too distracted by the ‘juicier’ sins of the former prince of the Church. These are only the tip of the iceberg, because we know that homosexuality alone is not a sufficient explanation for this type of immorality. His narcissism, and that of his fellow spiritual thugs, provides a much more reliable interpretive key, because narcissists are also well known to be consummate deceivers; first because of the lies they tell themselves, because of their own deep-seated inner loneliness, second because they must maintain that facade at all costs, lest their fragile ego dissolve in the limpid air of reality. These men are truly dangerous.

Which brings me, then, to the “double-tongued” character of not only McCarrick, but so many actors in the document. It is clear that the document is at pains to exonerate Pope Francis of any culpability in this debacle, and also to raise doubt about the claims to near absolute rectitude in those who attempted to lift the veil surrounding the whole affair (especially Vigano). To be honest, with a rabbit hole this deep, I cannot fathom anyone with even the most tangential of relationships to McCarrick’s ‘club’ escaping this web of lies without some sort of moral stain. There is plenty of blame to go around. I don’t know if any mortal is capable of untangling the knot of systemic and personal failures that brought about such a moral catastrophe. Expecting perfectly clear answers before Judgment Day is a vain exercise. Only the passage of time, and plain talking, will put salve on the wounds on the Bride of Christ.

Another angle that I think is not sufficiently discussed surrounding this sordid business is the careerism present, not only in McCarrick, but in his associates. It is not clear to me at all that all these victims, especially the Priests, were unwilling accomplices in the sins against the Sixth Commandment. Narcissists are very adept at identifying the vulnerabilities in others, and certainly McCarrick knew who would be intrigued and seduced by the dubious honor of being admitted to the ‘family’ of such a renowned kingmaker. It is not conjecture that several of these men advanced on the coattails of McCarrick, it is a fact. What price they had to pay in terms of their integrity and dignity, only God and their conscience knows.

If I have any room for anger anymore (as such an emotion is both exhausting and spiritually dangerous), it is for the fact that we know that if Cardinal McCarrick were truly “one of us”, he would have been homeless and penniless if even one of those “rumors” about him were taken seriously. Many Priests have lost everything for less, far less. The paper trail and the witnesses to his misdeeds are numerous. It exposes the fact that there is a two-tiered system of justice within the Church, and how thoroughly our penal system has been rendered almost completely ineffectual. What is the point of Canon Law and internal checks, if they are so routinely disregarded? Some Bishops can’t wash their hands fast enough of Priests they believe are guilty of so-called “boundary violations” or other bureaucratic euphemisms. It is nothing short of stupefying to see how quickly McCarrick’s disciples became his executioners. But perhaps we ought not to be shocked, because in the words of Shakespeare, “there’s daggers in men’s smiles”, and none are so sharp and deadly as the affected, false charity of the truly double-tongued.

I anticipate that in the coming weeks and months, many people will begin to provide their own notes and counter-narratives to the report’s content, and this will serve to continue to raise the indignation and sadness of the faithful. Do we have the strength to bear the wave of finger-pointing and mutual incrimination that may come? It’s enough to make even the most stalwart lovers of the Church to grieve and waver. But this storm will not pass until we all find the strength in the Holy Spirit to speak plainly and truthfully about how wretched our situation has become. We cannot wish or explain this away. Sincere repentance is our necessary medicine. Please, dear Bishops, our fathers in Christ, we beg you simply to be honest. We don’t need more of the same carefully worded press releases and dramatic ceremonies of penitence. What we do need is basic honesty, basic humanity. We need to forsake the forked tongue of deceit, and speak with the fiery tongue of Apostles. Corruption cannot be purged by mere policy reform. O Holy Spirit, revive us! O Holy Spirit, give us the courage to meet this hour with the valor of faith!

And pray, dear brothers and sisters, for the mutilated Priestly soul of Theodore McCarrick, and for the sickness of his soul. May he be given the gift of tears, and may his victims be granted the grace of interior healing and peace. Nobis quoque peccatoribus…