Steven Millies on the Resiliency of the Church

"The story should seem familiar.

"The church was protecting members of the clergy who had committed crimes, shielding priests from the justice of the state. We all have seen the movie, and we all know how it goes.

"But the movie is not Spotlight. The movie is Becket.

"The movie is remembered as fondly today as St. Thomas Becket is remembered as a martyr. Becket had been a carouser. He reformed and set his loyalty to his friend, the king, beneath his loyalty to the church. But Becket was wrong.

"Becket was protecting the institutional church, claiming a privilege under English law that established how priests (and, lower orders) could be judged for criminal offenses only by the church. King Henry had wanted - for selfish reasons - to break power of the church to resist his civil authority. Becket came out the martyr and the saint. But from where we are today, it is not so easy to side with the 'meddlesome priest' as Richard Burton made it seem."

In a recent commentary, writer Steven P. Millies, associate professor of public theology and director of The Bernardin Center at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, reflected on the similarities between previous Church scandals and those of the present day, with special emphasis on the need, in our effort to repair our church and civic organizations, to recall why they are important.

To access Mr. Millies complete essay, please visit:

US Catholic: The church may be more resilient than we think (30 AUG 18)