Further reflections on Hypocrisy

A few disconnected thoughts have been swimming around what passes for a brain in the pater familias at Trovato Towers, in addition to those I posted here.

One is that if someone subsequently discovered to be a hypocrite has been lauding certain virtues or values, it is wholly irrational to disbelieve the virtues or values.  The rational response is to disbelieve the hypocrite, precisely in his claim to live up them.

The second is that, pace Cardinal O'Brien, I am sure that things look very different from his perspective and from those who have denounced him.

Whilst I am quite prepared to believe that they may have experienced his approaches (if such there were) as an abuse of power (inter alia) I am also sure that it will not have seemed like that to him at the time.  Recognising the multiple subjectivities at work in such a situation is important if we are not to leap into judgemental mode, but rather understand with compassion what has gone wrong.

That is not to say that we may not judge particular actions as wrong; indeed we must, for the sake of justice and truth.  But we are commanded not to judge our brothers, and that for the sake of an even higher law, the law of charity.

The very best thing we can do is to pray for all concerned, and the next thing is to look to ourselves and root out all that is not in accord with the high truths of Faith Hope and Charity to which we are called.

For to reform and heal the Church, we need to reform and heal the members of the Church; and the place to start is with ourselves, not with others.