This is really a GQ, but I suppose the topic is too hot for that.
In the recent statements from the Pope regarding sexual molestations by priests, I saw the term “mystery of evil” used. I even saw it in some Latin form that I won’t try to repeat.
My question is - is this some kind of Roman Catholic theological thing, or just made up for the occasion? From reading the Catholic Encyclopedia online, I couldn’t find this term. There is a “mystery” entry, though, that describes a mystery as something that is known through revelation, and not possible to understand through reason.
It would be very curious to me if the Pope is saying that the sexual misconduct of priests is due to some kind of “Mystery” in the theological sense.
After checking with Google, it seems that the “Mystery of Evil” is one of those catch phrases that came out of 9/11. Bush keeps saying things about the “evil-doers” and among other ministers Billy Graham is credited with using the “Mystery of Evil” in one of his sermons, after 9/11.
Er, no, it’s not just from 9/11, it dates from way before that. In all the CNN.com articles, they’re spelling it “mysterium inequitatis”, but Google asks me, “Do you mean mysterium iniquitatis?” and then brings me a bunch of websites in Italian and Spanish, among others. I’m guessing that it’s actually “iniquitatis”, as in “iniquity”.
And I’m guessing that it’s just a fancy way of saying “the evil that’s in the world”, judging by the context. That’s not a particularly “Catholic” doctrine, BTW. All Christian denominations have the same idea somewhere, that there’s “Evil in the World”. Some of them personify it as Satan, some of the more liberal ones merely leave it as “Evil”.
So, I guess that what the Pope is saying is that the sexual misconduct of the priests was because of the Evil that is in the World. The existence of this Evil, the reason for its being, is the mystery.
It’s the Great Mystery of Evil. Why is there Evil in the World?
Here’s where I’m coming from. The Catholic Encyclopedia has this in the entry under mystery: "In its strict sense a mystery is a supernatural truth, one that of its very nature lies above the finite intelligence. "
If I take this “mystery of evil” term at face value (from the Pope, no less) then I’m led to think that the Pope regards these incidents of sexual abuse as something that cannot be understood.
To me this is a despicable cop-out. How in the world can anyone, having a position of authority and leadership in any orgaization, and faced with a scandal propagated by his subordinates like this, get away with saying, in effect, “hey, evil things happen, and nobody understands why”.
“Mystery of evil” - yeah, I’m going to try that next time I get caught breaking the law.
Could the Pope have been referring to the mystery of why evil exists at all, rather than implying that he had no idea why some priests abuse sexually children? That’s a very, very old debate that will probably continue forever.
The pretty limited lexicon at the end of my Latin textbook says:
Iniquus: unequal, unfair, unjust.
It might also refer to the “Problem of Pain”, as C.S. Lewis titled one of his books: Why does God permit people to suffer from the evil actions of others? Or “Why ain’t there no justice?”
Since we don’t know the context in which the phrase was used I think it is a little unfair to say that he is using it as a cop-out. But I, too, side with the camp that are seeing it as the expression meant to question “If God is good, why is there evil” and similar expressions.
You might try reading his book. It might explain some questions (said in a sarcastic voice with the definite look of “are these posters thinking all the way through” in my eyes).
Seriously, the “Mystery of Evil” has to do with its mere existence, its persistance, and its ultimate lack of motivation in the face of God. In other words, the Pope is saying that people cannot understand why Evil “is”.
Thank you, I was beginning to think I was the only one to “get” this.
My point of view it this - I know that folks debate the “Problem of Evil” endlessly. But whenever I engage in such a discussion (and I’m on the atheistic side) I generally suppose that the folks on the other side are convinced of their position, and trying to explain to me why they believe what they believe.
But now comes a “dogma” (if I may call it that) from a pretty high Christian source that says - forget understanding it, the mystery of evil is beyond all understanding. We’re condemmed to debate this endlessly, and there’s no hope of resolution.
This is a position that, until now, I had not been aware of. (mind you, I’m very aware that people do debate this endlessly, but I have not given into the idea that it is irresolvable, and that this “fact” is a divine revelation)
Silly me, here I thought that religion was supposed to offer guidance to the eternal questions of morality - good, evil, etc. The things that science won’t touch. But here we have something that says, basically, that “God is good, and evil exists, because God says so”
I think it’s more along the lines of, “Why do bad things happen to good people,” or vice versa-why do good things happen to bad people?
Mystery is a big part of the Catholic church. I don’t know about Protestant or Eastern Christian churches, but I do know that right before we say the Our Father at Mass, the priest will say, “Let us proclaim the mystery of faith.”
Mystery means, something that can’t be explained. God is, in a way, a mystery. I mean, we have beliefs and teachings and writings, but until we die, we won’t learn EVERYTHING about life and God and such.
Why there is evil in the world-why can’t we all just be good to one another, IS, in the end, a mystery. That doesn’t mean we can’t explain it, or try and stop it. We can, and we should. But, in the end, we know it’s there, and it’s something that’s a part of life.
I found these lyrics by David Byrne to sum up my feelings on the Catholic Church perfectly- they’re from a song called “The Gates of Paradise” off of his Feelings album.
"And the laws of men are not the laws of heaven
And angel’s breath is like the desert wind
And terrorists are acting out of love sweet love
To bring us home again
So beware of good intentions
And the passion in their eyes
For none of them can open
The Gates of Paradise"
Though “the mystery of evil” has been a genuine Catholic concept for a long time, I think Pope John Paul II’s most recent use of the phrase was an unforgivable cop-out.
What drives some men (including some priests) to molest children IS a mystery. But what drove their superiors to cover up their crimes, and send them to places where they’d have a chance to hurt MORE children, is not a mystery at all.
And worse still, I’m afraid, when John Paul used the phrase “the mystery of evil,” he was coming dangerously close to excusing the crimes of the guilty priests.
For a variety of reasons, there is a great hostility toward America and Americans within the Vatican. The Pope and many leading Cardinals clearly regard America as a latter-day Babylon, filled with people who care only about sex and money. It appears, based on statements from the Vatican, that the Pope and many Cardinals regard the charges of child molestation in the U.S. merely as further proof that Americans are sex-crazed and zex-obsessed.
Hence, rather than viewing children as victims of deviant priests, there are far too many people in the Vatican ready to view the guilty PRIESTS as the victims of America’s sex-obsessed society. Instead of condemning these guilty priests for harming innocent children, it appears that much of the Church hierarchy is saying, “There there, Father Geoghan… we know it’s not your fault. American culture is so perverse, you were led into temptation and sin against your will.”
The Vatican line SHOULD be “Priest who violate children are beyond the pale. They must be expelled and punished immediately.” Instead, the line seems to be, “Well, it’s regrettable that some priests have broken their vow of celibacy… but what can we expect from those lecherous Americans, anyway?”
I think this is a little off-base. The Vatican may harbor some hostility toward Americans for the reasons you cite. But they do not regard this as merely an American problem. The problem has been a recurrent one, long before the current spate of scandals in Boston, and in many other countries. As much as Rome may think of America as a Babylon, how much more so do they view the more secular and liberal countries in their backyards? Italy, France, Germany, Spain, even Poland and Ireland are in many respects less pious than the US.
The Church is not shocked that this should occur in America, nor do they see it as more likely to happen here than elsewhere in the world. What has been a surprise has been the public outcry, far in excess of that in previous, if less widespread, scandals. It’s the mystery of public opinion.
According to the Oxford English…
Mystery: a relgious truth known only through divine revelation, a doctrine of faith involing difficulties which human reason is incapable of solving; a sacramental rite.
I love having the O.E.D!
Yes, Guin, the Catholic and Orthodox churches do leave a lot more room for mystery than most Protestant ones do: a friend of mine has pretty much decided to become Anglican for that reason. As a purely subjective, intuitive kind of statement, I usually feel more smothered in abstract, linear theology in Protestant churches than in Mass, even though the Catholics have had a lot more time to practise it. And they produced Thomas Aquinas!.. It feels to me (sometimes) like Protestants want to have everything explained in a rational, linear fashion.