When covering church abuse, it doesn’t take long to realize that the best allies are often the most improbable. That’s the case at St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue, where, right behind the scenes, the conservative Roman Catholic group Opus Dei is proving very helpful to those hurt by the Episcopal Church.
There are a number of wrinkles in this situation that we cannot yet discuss, but the hallmark of Opus Dei’s work has been personal and organizational integrity.
So, how is Opus Dei helping?
The answer starts with several key players who are challenging the Episcopal Church and its ongoing misconduct. Among these people is the lawyer representing several persons injured by the church, a top-rated civil rights and criminal defense lawyer located in Manhattan. (Opus Dei members generally prefer not to be named, so we are respecting that convention.)
Additionally, a number of people have fled St. Thomas’ and the Episcopal Diocese of New York for the safety of Opus Dei. At first blush, that may seem improbable, given the juxtaposition between the Episcopal Church’s generally liberal stance and Opus Dei’s conservative stance
But most would agree that they prefer to worship God in an environment free from sexual harassment/assault, bullying, retaliation, and the intentional mismanagement of complaints of sexual misconduct.
Additionally, it’s important to keep the main thing the main thing, which is worshipping God. Thus, while no one is going to agree with every stance or position of a particular faith community, the fact that Opus Dei members take their faith seriously matters.
On a pastoral level, the Episcopal Church has made no effort to care for those injured by sexual misconduct, but rather has gone out of its way to inflict further trauma. That contrasts sharply with Opus Dei priests, who have consistently shown themselves to be compassionate and kind towards those hurt by the Episcopal Church.
Further, we can’t say more, but several Opus Dei individuals are working hard behind the scenes to support those oppressed by the Episcopal Church.
The sad thing in all of this is that, had the Diocese of New York actually followed the Title IV clergy disciplinary canons at any stage of this meltdown, things would never have reached this stage. But at this point, the damage caused by the Episcopal Church’s retaliation, defamation, shunning, breaches of confidentiality, and more is largely irreparable.
Thus, legal action is both necessary and unavoidable — and we see no sign that the Diocese will settle these matters out of court, publicly apologize, or otherwise even pretend to be Christian.
Will anyone at Anglican Watch run off and join Opus Dei? Not likely, given our views on same-sex marriage, reproductive issues, and other hot-button topics.
That said, we are deeply grateful to the various other Opus Dei individuals who are approaching the meltdown at St. Thomas Church.
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