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T HE DIV I N I TY SC H OOL T E L E PHON E (9 1 9) 660-3400 June 19 I 2002 F AX (919) 660-3473

Rev. Bishop F. Joseph Gossman The Catholic Center 715 Nazareth St. Raleigh, NC 27606-2187

Dear Bishop Gossman, I have never been ashamed of belonging to a church of sinners. But I am ashamed, sickened, to belong to a church that advocates "zero tolerance." "Zero tolerance" is a heresy that was condemned in the third century when the Novatianists wanted a that was pure, and refused to reinstall those who had apostasized during the Decian Schism and then repented. "Zero tolerance" was condemned in the fourth century against the Donatists, who would tolerate no sinful bishop in their church, and denied the validity of any sacraments they performed. No heresy angered Augustine more, who ripped his guts and his heart out denouncing those. who would make the Church a small exclusive body of the sinless. "Zero tolerance" is a heresy (and not just an opinion) because it denies the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit.

The Church has tolerated immoral and depraved clergy throughout her long history. Pedophilism was one of many deplored sins she suffered, but it did not light a match to some of the other perverted acts, both in public and in private, the faithful witnessed in their pastors. The faith of the medieval Church was never built on the quality of her priests. Good ones and bad ones came and went, and the faith carried on. Perhaps the most endearing quality of our Church is this faith of her people that is lodged, not in any mere mortal, but in the sacraments. The teaching of Vatican II that the Church is the people is a simple truth that has always been, in fact, the case.

"Zero tolerance" is in utter opposition not only to the tradition of the Church and her claim to be "universal, " but to the words of Jesus ("7 x 7"). Jesus called the first leaders of the Church, and they all initially failed to be trustworthy. They betrayed his trust in them, abandoning him in his final hour. Did Jesus dismiss them, replace them with others? Whoever heard of a God of Love declaring "zero tolerance"? Have we, as Christians, grasped the contradiction we are living if we enact zero tolerance? I teach the history of the early and medieval Church to Protestants in a Protestant Divinity School. We study the Novatian Schism, the Donatist Schism. We read Augustine. We study the Gregorian Reform. We read about reform after reform in the Church, the efforts to clean up its leadership. Its all documented-- the sodomy, bestiality, pedophilism, incest, lechery, drunkenness, , murder, lying-- that the Church has endured. How do I explain to the Protestant student who walks up to me tomorrow and asks how the today can declare "zero tolerance," when up until now this has been a heresy? Is the Catholic Church becoming a church of puritans?

I can understand, I think, how this novel expression, "zero tolerance, " arose in the context of a desire on the part of bishops to have done with an "old boys club" image of the clergy in which sexual misconduct was overlooked and the clergy protected one another from exposure. The more fiercely they cry out "zero tolerance," the more I suspect a tremendous guilt they are trying to erase. Far more depressing to me than pedophilism is this current sensitivity of bishops to the wave of public opinion. The Church is not accountable to the secular world, and especially the secular media. She is accountable to God, a far more terrifying reality, but one that carries little weight for a democratic society which would judge the Church according to democratic standards. The Church is not a democracy. Its faithful do not vote in or out her leaders. This safegaurds against the leaders becoming simple pawns of the people, telling them only what they want to hear (a tremendous problem in the Protestant Church). The Code of Law makes very clear the judicial procedures existing within the Church to deal with accusations of negligent leaders. The final arrogance of the Church hierarchy would be to think they could write off, disown, their charges who disgrace them.

We are right to be in anguish over the children who have been abused with dire consequences for the rest of their lives, including hatred of the Church and cynicism of all religious. We need another bath of reform. A policy of "zero tolerance" is cheap reform, that will do damage, not good. It says, the first step is to defrock the priest, get rid of him, not heal him where he is now. The Church exists to embrace one another as sinners. We need repentent pedophilists to stay in the Church, as much as we need repentent alcoholic, or any other kind of sinful priest, to stay in the Church, so that we too can be assured of acceptance and forgiveness when we too sin and repent. The Church only recognizes herself in this unconditional forgiveness towards all her members.

No saving distinction can be made between "zero tolerance" and zero forgiveness. Forgiveness is perfect or it is nothing at all. No one can say, "You are forgiven, but get out of my sight!" With each repentent pedophilist (and next week racketeer, drug-dealer, thief) who is dismissed the Church expresses doubt that she is endowed with the power to heal all the evils in this world. But what greater force for conversion and healing could exist than a Church that says to a broken pastor, "Stay where you are. We need you; we'll work with you. We'll conquer this demon with love and prayer?"

I am a sinner, repentent, but unhealed. I would have despaired long ago if it were not for the Church. I can't seem to remove her blindness; she refuses to see my sin. So I keep coming, keep crying, keep resolving to be clean. I hope.

If I am completely off track in what I have said, I beg you to correct me and help me understand how we, as Christians, could possibly be throwing around this term 11 zero tolerance. 11 We are sign to the world, but what sign of Christ is such language?

Sincerely in faith, ~ a- t+ Susan A. Keefe Assoc. Prof. of Church History The Divinity School Duke University Durham, NC 27708-0967 (919-660-3469) (member of Immaculate Conception Church, Durham)