The Face of Mercy

By

Daniel Conway

God always forgives; joy always endures

Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty that, when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved. (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel)

Two of the most consistent themes in the teaching of Pope Francis are mercy and joy. During Lent, the Church calls our attention to the inexhaustible forgiveness of God. In Easter time, we are called to share in the experience of endless joy. 

This joy is the result of an encounter with a person, Jesus Christ. Like the experience of falling in love, joy overtakes us. It floods our heart with a sense of beauty, goodness and fulfillment. Joy is a deeply spiritual experience that is very different from the physical satisfaction of our senses. 

The Gospel story of the prodigal son (Lk 15:1-32) is an illustration of true joy. The younger son sought pleasure through dissipation, but he came up empty. It was only when he faced his sinfulness and sought forgiveness that he could experience lasting joy. Sadly, the older son, whoobeyed his father and did all the right things, did not know joy because his heart was bitter and resentful.

“How good it feels to come back to [God] whenever we are lost!” Pope Francis writes. “Let me say this once more: God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy. Christ, who told us to forgive one another ’seventy times seven’ (Mt 18:22) has given us his example: he has forgiven us seventy times seven. Time and time again he bears us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness which never disappoints, but is always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew. Let us not flee from the resurrection of Jesus, let us never give up, come what will. May nothing inspire more than his life, which impels us onwards!” (EG, #3)

The personal encounter with Jesus that is the source of Christian joy is especially keen during the Easter season. Having come from a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving when we have emptied ourselves of false desires and futile attempts to find happiness in worldly things, we are reminded of how blessed we are by a God who gives himself to us unconditionally.

As Pope Francis says, “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter them; I ask all of you to do this unfailingly each day. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since ’no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord.’ The Lord does not disappoint those who take this risk; whenever we take a step towards Jesus, we come to realize that he is already there, waiting for us with open arms.” (EG, #3).

God never tires of forgiving us and “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk 15:7).” Mercy and joy come together. In Jesus, who is the face of God’s mercy, and our source of lasting joy, the two experiences are united.

As Pope Francis teaches, “Proclaiming Christ means showing that to believe in and to follow him is not only something right and true, but also something beautiful, capable of filling life with new splendor and profound joy, even in the midst of difficulties. Every expression of true beauty can thus be acknowledged as a path leading to an encounter with the Lord Jesus. This has nothing to do with fostering an aesthetic relativism which would downplay the inseparable bond between truth, goodness and beauty, but rather a renewed esteem for beauty as a means of touching the human heart and enabling the truth and goodness of the Risen Christ to radiate within it” (EG, #167).

Beauty, goodness and truth are inseparable from our experience of authentic joy. This Easter season, let’s be grateful for the mercy shown us “seventy times seven,” and let’s open our hearts to an encounter with God’s son, and our brother, who shows us with absolute certainty that “when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved.”

We celebrate the Easter Triduum this week as the holiest of the Church year. This is the time of year when we recall—in the most vivid terms possible—the supreme sacrifice that Jesus made for each one of us.

St. Paul tell us, in the words of an early Christian hymn, that Jesus humbled himself and became a slave for our sake. Although He was God, he emptied Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.Jesus’ death, and His resurrection from the dead, freed us from the slavery of sin and death. By His wounds we have been healed. By His victory over the power of death, we have been liberated.
And yet, far too many of our sisters and brothers throughout the world do not know what it means to live free.

Did you know that 12.3 million people are victims of forced labor, bonded labor and sexual exploitation each year? These are forms of slavery as cruel and inhuman as anything experienced by African-American slaves in our country 150 years ago.

Did you know that nearly 20,000 enslaved people (mainly women and children) are “trafficked” into the United States each year? Or that 100,000 American children are the victims of commercial sexual exploitation each year?

Traffickers lure vulnerable men, women and children with false promises of good jobs, an education, economic security and even love. Once lured, the traffickers are able to keep their victims from seeking help by confiscating identification documents, using threats of violence against the victim or their family, as well as subjecting the victim to physical, psychological and/or sexual abuse. No sector or industry is immune from human trafficking.  Victims have been identified in factories, restaurants, construction work, agricultural fields, hotels, spas, nail salons, and even private residences.

Human trafficking exists because of the lack of laws against it, the lack of enforcement of such laws where they do exist, and the ease and ability to re-exploit individuals. Human trafficking has become the fastest growing source of profits for criminal enterprises worldwide.  The Catholic Church has repeatedly condemned human trafficking, stating that human trafficking “constitutes a shocking offense against human dignity and a grave violation of fundamental human rights.” For over a decade, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has been a leader in the U.S. and global response to human trafficking. The Coalition of Catholic Organizations Against Human Trafficking consists of national and international Catholic agencies working to eliminate the scourge of human trafficking by:

• Formulating plans for combating trafficking and serving its victims
• Promoting development of services for trafficking victims and approaches to empowerment of trafficking victims
• Dialoging with government officials and others engaged in public policies affecting this issue
• Devising strategies for public education, awareness-raising and grass roots action.

The freedom won for us by our Lord’s passion, death and resurrection cries out to heaven for liberty and justice for all regardless of their nationality, religious background, social or economic condition. All human beings were set free by the cross of Christ. All are equal in the sight of God. All are called to be united with each other and with Him.

This Easter, let’s dedicate ourselves to proclaiming liberty for all who are enslaved—whether by means of human trafficking or by more subtle forms of slavery caused by domestic violence, or addiction to alcohol, drugs or pornography. Let’s put an end to the evils of human trafficking and sexual exploitation once and for all! And let’s work to overcome the habits of self-indulgence and abusive behavior toward others that are so prevalent in our global culture.

# # #

Sexual Abuse is a Universal Problem

Sexual abuse is the work of the devil, Pope Francis said at the conclusion of the meeting of bishops from all over the world held at the Vatican last month. And Church personnel who engage in sexual abuse, or cover it up, “become tools of Satan.”



The Holy Father went on to say that there can be no explanation, or excuse, for the abuse of minors and others who are vulnerable. That’s why it’s important to “recognize with humility” that the Church stands “face to face with the mystery of evil.” Even one case—one unspeakable instance of atrocity—must be “faced with the utmost seriousness,” the pope says.



“Acts of violence take place not only in the home, but also in neighborhoods, schools, athletic facilities and, sadly, also in church settings,” the Holy Father said. This is a “universal problem,” and the evil is no “less monstrous when it takes place within the Church.” It’s actually more scandalous, the pope said, because it’s incompatible with the Church’s moral and ethical credibility.

Pope Francis’s remarks were given at the conclusion of an unprecedented meeting of the presidents of bishops’ conferences from all regions of the world. As was predicted, the pope’s observations were not applauded by everyone. Some thought he said too much about “pressure from the media” and “journalistic practices that exploit tragedy.” Others argued that the pope didn’t go far enough in condemning the Church’s role in the “universal problem” of sexual abuse. 


Although the Vatican has warned observers that no definitive actions would be announced at the end of the week-long meeting, Pope Francis did list eight “best practices” in the effort to “confront the causes and effects of these grave crimes.” In keeping with the pope’s designation of sexual abuse as a universal problem, the best practices he listed draw on guidelines published by the World Health Organization as well as work done by the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors and reflections provided by the 190 participants in the meeting of bishops’ conference presidents.

What are these best practices?


As summarized by Courtney Grogan writing for the Catholic News Agency, these are:

1. A “change of mentality” to focus on protecting children rather than “protecting the institution.”
2. A recognition of the “impeccable seriousness” of these “sins and crimes of consecrated persons.”
3. A genuine purification beginning with “self-accusation.”
4. Positive formation of candidates for the priesthood in the virtue of chastity.
5. Strengthening and reviewing of guidelines by episcopal conferences, reaffirming the need for “rules.”
6. The accompaniment of those who have been abused with an emphasis on listening.
7. Ensure that seminarians and clergy are not enslaved to an addiction to pornography.
8. Combat sexual tourism around the world.

The primary goal of every measure, Pope Francis said, has to be the protection of minors from any form of psychological and physical abuse. To achieve this, “a change of mentality is needed to combat a defensive and reactive approach to protecting the institution and to pursue, wholeheartedly and decisively, the good of the community by giving priority to the victims of abuse in every sense.”

The Holy Father also said that the Catholic Church will “spare no effort” to do what’s necessary to bring justice to those who’ve been hurt, never staying silent or failing to treat each case with the seriousness it deserves.


Finally, beyond preventing abuse, Pope Francis said that the Church needs a “constantly renewed commitment to the holiness of pastors,” constantly questioning how best to protect children, avoid these crimes and bring healing to survivors and victims.

Sexual abuse is a “monstrous” universal problem that is “incompatible with the Church’s moral and ethical credibility,” but precisely because it is a work of the devil more than “natural” means are required to combat it. Holiness, spiritual renewal and the power of prayer are indispensable when confronting pure evil.


Practical measures are important—absolutely necessary—to combat the universal problem of sexual abuse, especially in the Church. But openness to the power of God’s grace is even more important. That’s why a key element in the Church’s response to this unspeakable evil must be the ongoing formation of holy priests and bishops who are totally dedicated to leading chaste lives and serving God’s people with humility and moral integrity.


Let’s pray for Pope Francis and all bishops throughout the world. May the power of God’s grace fill them with holy zeal and the commitment to do whatever is necessary to protect our children and heal the wounds caused by the grave sin of clergy sexual abuse and its coverup.

# # #

Why I remain a Catholic: Father Wayne Jenkins

I was not in a good mood when I went to Mass this weekend. Feeling sorry for myself (for no good reason), I entered Holy Trinity Church focused on myself, not on God or anyone else.

Once inside, I saw Father Wayne Jenkins, a retired diocesan priest who lives at our parish and “helps out” with daily and weekend liturgies and other ministries as needed. When our former pastor, Mark Spalding, was appointed Bishop of Nashville, Father Wayne stepped out of retirement to serve as our Acting Pastor.  Not one to simply coast, Father Wayne gave his all to this assignment, becoming fully engaged in meeting the pastoral needs of our very active parish. Then, when the new pastor, Father Bill Bowling, was installed many months later, Father Wayne quietly stepped down and returned to his former role as a humble priest in residence.

When I saw Father Wayne in church right before Mass, my mood shifted. I let go of whatever negativity was hanging over me and my spirits were lifted. Why?

Good Priests are a real blessing. Way too much attention has been paid to the few rotten apples who have spoiled the barrell when we ought to be rejoicing in the pastoral presence of good priests like Father Wayne. The way he celebrates Mass is prayerful but not excessively devout. His homilies are outstanding, not because they are brilliant theological reflections but because he speaks from the heart in plain language always with a message you can remember and take home with you.

This weekend Father Wayne shared his reflections on the Gospel story of the Lord’s Transfiguration (Lk 9:28b-36).  He offered us a simple illustration from his own life of what it’s like to experience the extraordinary presence of God in the midst of our ordinary lives. He shared with us his deep faith in the transformative power of God’s love and mercy—even in the face of the great sorrow that all disciples of Jesus are called to witness in the Lord’s passion and death on a cross.

When his homily was finished, Father Wayne welcomed an adult man, a husband and father, into full communion with the Catholic Church. With just a simple profession of faith, followed by the Sacrament of Confirmation, a new member joined his family, and our parish community, in full Eucharistic communion.  What a powerful witness in these troubled times! When too many of us are racked with doubt and uncertainty, this newcomer confidently pledges his fidelity to the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church!

It was fitting that Father Wayne was the one who received our new parishioner in the name of the whole Church. I’ve described Father Wayne as “a humble priest in residence.” By humble, I mean “down to earth.” He is clearly one of us, a man with faults like all of us, who seeks God in the everyday circumstances of life and who strives to become better, more faithful, in fulfilling the promises he made at baptism and in his priestly ordination. As he shares with us his struggles—and his joys—we have the opportunity to be transfigured, to reflect the glory to which we are called as women and men who follow Jesus and who learn much from the words and example of good priests like Wayne Jenkins.

In the Archdiocese of Louisville, and especially at Holy Trinity Parish, we are blessed with good, holy priests. We should thank God for them, pray for them, rejoice in them! Priests like Father Wayne  have given their whole lives to help us remain faithful to our baptismal promises. Their priestly ministry is a gift of inestimable value, a treasure we should cherish out of gratitude and respect.

Father Wayne Jenkins is one of many reasons that I choose to remain a member of the Catholic Church. May God continue to bless him in his humble, but very powerful, priestly ministry.

Lent is a time for healing, hope

“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners” (Lk 5: 32).

We go to the doctor because we are troubled by symptoms. Based on the symptoms, and perhaps with some further observations and tests, the doctor diagnoses the underlying cause of our illness. Based on the underlying cause, the doctor prescribes a course of treatment—not just to eliminate the symptoms but to eliminate the root cause of the illness. If someone has a case of pneumonia and they only treat the symptoms (fever and a cough), the underlying cause of illness (an infection in the lungs) could kill them. 

The same is true of our spiritual health. If we really want to get back to good health, we have to get at what’s underneath the symptoms. Therefore, in order to be spiritually healthy we have to examine: 1) the symptoms of sin—our overt sinful actions, 2) the underlying causes of sin—the attitudes and habits of our heart, from which our actions spring, 3) the healing offered by Jesus, and 4) how the healing mission of Jesus is made available to us in the Church through the sacraments.

The Church today shows grave symptoms of ill health. Clergy sexual abuse, clericalism, declining membership and Mass attendance, and the general malaise or discomfort experienced by many faithful Catholics are all signs that something is seriously wrong. What’s causing these symptoms? What are the root causes of this illness of mind, heart and soul?  

Lent is the time of year when the Church encourages us to do a thorough examination of our spiritual health, and then to take whatever steps are necessary to let the healing power of Jesus make us whole again. The six and a half weeks of Lent provide a structure for diagnosing the symptoms, and the root causes, of our sinfulness. During this special time of year, the Church encourages us to take advantage of the healing power of the sacraments, especially the sacrament of penance, to admit our selfishness and sin (confession), to experience a change of heart (conversion), to deny ourselves (penance) and to change the way we live (healing). 

The sacrament of penance is our greatest diagnostic tool. Through this great sacrament, we allow Jesus to enter into our hearts and cleanse us of all the impurities—large and small—that have built up over time. We present ourselves to him for the healing of both our symptoms and their root causes. 

Jesus Christ is the Divine Physician of body and soul. In his Incarnation, Jesus reached out, by word and deed, to heal those with illnesses of the body and sicknesses of the soul. In his passion, death and resurrection, he conquered sin and death, and became the source of ultimate healing for all. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus gave the apostles a share in his very life, so that the healing power of his words and deeds might continue to be present to the world through them. And through the sacraments, Jesus himself continues to be present in every time and place, healing us and drawing us into the communion that he shares with the Father and the Spirit.

What’s true for individual Catholics during the season of Lent, is also true for the Church as a whole. Now more than ever, the whole Body of Christ needs to do a thorough examination of its attitudes, behaviors and their consequences. This certainly includes our pope, bishops and pastoral leaders, but it cannot be limited to the ordained, to Church officials. It must involve the entire people of God whoever we are and wherever we find ourselves. All of us need to allow the Holy Spirit to work within our communities of faith to purify, cleanse and heal us. And we need to open our hearts and minds to substantive change, to the kind of radical conversion that alone brings healing and hope.   

During this Lent, the Divine Physician invites us to a healing that brings reconciliation and communion—with God, with each other, and with ourselves in our inmost being. Our response—as individuals and as the whole Church--must be to once again say “Yes!” to him: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter my roof. Say but the word, and my soul will be healed.”

Jesus himself told us that “those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do.” Lord, help us to acknowledge our illnesses of mind and heart and body. Teach us to turn to you and to humbly seek your healing power. We need it now, Lord, more than ever.

Daniel Conway

Catholic journalism should promote dialog, discussion and respectful disagreement 

February is Catholic Press Association month. It’s a good time to express our appreciation for the faith-filled professionals who carry out the vitally important work of Catholic social communications. It’s also an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the fundamental values of journalism, especially Catholic journalism.

When I first started writing for the weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, The Criterion, in the early 1990s, there was lots of discussion about the degree of separation that should exist between Catholic media and Church hierarchy. Many argued that a free and independent press was needed in order to hold Church leaders accountable and keep the Catholic community informed about issues that might otherwise be “swept under the carpet.” 

The revelations of the past two decades concerning clergy sexual abuse, and allegations of cover up by popes and bishops, has heightened our awareness of the need for transparency and accountability. At the same time, the media’s uncritical acceptance of investigative reports by government agencies who claim to expose cover ups by Church leaders has cast some doubt on the ability of journalists to convey truthfully what is actually going on in complex cases of abuse where the truth is not easy to discover, interpret correctly, or disclose to the public.

In his 2019 World Day of Communications message, published January 24, Pope Francis warns against the dangers of using social media to divide rather than unite people. “We define ourselves starting with what divides us rather than with what unites us,” the pope says, “giving rise to suspicion and the venting of every kind of prejudice (ethnic, sexual, religious and other).” 

This admonition applies to all forms of social communications. Talk radio, for example, can be bitterly divisive. So can network and cable TV programs. Even worse, as Pope Francis points out frequently, is gossip, the “word of mouth” network that appears to rejoice in the sins of others (real or imagined) and that, whether true or not, are embellished out of all proportion in the repeated telling.

Social media too often raises destructive backyard gossip to a global enterprise. We need only consider the distorted story of the young men from Covington Catholic High School which went viral in a matter of moments and set in motion attacks, counterattacks and even death threats from people on virtually all ends of the political spectrum. Where was the truth in the telling of that very sad story?

When The Criterion was inaugurated on October 7, 1960, an editorial offered a summary of the newspaper’s journalistic philosophy: “We will be attempting the difficult task of applying to concrete, specific situations the religious and moral ideals of the Catholic Faith. It is not a task in which one can enjoy the easy certitude of reiterating high principles and unarguable platitudes. One must get specific, and to be specific one must know more than principles; one must be acquainted with the relevant facts of each situation or issue. No one is going to be totally right all the time in an effort of this scope.” 

Knowing the facts would seem to be more important now than ever in an age when “news”—whether  real or false, understated or exaggerated, unifying or divisive—travels through cyberspace at a rate of speed unimaginable in 1960.  

The Criterion’s first editorial made a commitment to its readers that is worth repeating: “We do not propose to be non-controversial. Controversy means at least that someone is awake. It does not have to mean that someone is boiling mad.”

Pope Francis would agree. The goal of authentic journalism is “communion,” the coming together of individuals and groups by means of open dialog, free discussion, and, when necessary, respectful disagreement over the relevant facts of each situation or issue. Character assassination, vitriolic insults and ideological diatribes are not journalism. They are certainly not Catholic journalism.

As predicted in The Criterion’s first editorial, even the best Catholic journalists don’t get it right all the time.  But with all due humility, I think we succeed a lot more often than we fail.

It’s time we took the problem of clericalism seriously. My Good Steward article for December expands on thoughts I posted here several weeks ago. 

The Good Steward

December 2018

It’s time to address the problem of clericalism

Clericalism arises from an elitist and exclusivist vision of vocation that interprets the ministry received as a power to be exercised rather as a free and generous service to be given (Pope Francis).

The revelations of the past summer concerning the ways that many bishops failed to deal with the problem of clergy sexual abuse of children—and the accusations of abusive behavior against high ranking church officials themselves—have once again raised the problem of “clericalism.” It’s time to take this problem seriously.

Pope Francis tells us that clericalism is the mistaken view that the clergy have some form of exalted status in the Church that grants them special power or privileges. In reality, the pope says, bishops, priests and deacons are ordained for a special form of service, not an elitist sense of privilege.

Clergy fall into the trap of clericalism when they start to think of themselves as “set apart” from the rest of the Christian community in ways that have nothing to do with ordained ministry. Lay people display clericalist attitudes when they place bishops, priests and deacons on pedestals—expecting more of them than they can realistically be expected to give.  

We expect our bishops, priests and deacons to be “holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and higher than the heavens” like Jesus (Hebrews 7: 23-28). And they are not. They are sinners like us who have answered the call to follow Jesus in a particular way—as men subject to weakness who humbly represent the one and only “high priest” who has been made perfect forever. 

Only by the grace of God can they hope to live their vocation with integrity. Only by accepting and handing-over their weaknesses can they succeed in being Christ for others. 

We call it “clericalism” when bishops, priests and deacons exalt themselves as a privileged class. But it is also clericalism when we expect them to be super-human, “high priests” whom we place on pedestals only to be scandalized by their human sinfulness. 

Both forms of clericalism should be recognized as poisonous; both must be rooted out and destroyed if we wish to renew our Church.

Indianapolis Archbishop Emeritus Daniel M. Buechlein, O.S.B., now deceased, used to admonish people at ordinations and first Masses “not to be scandalized by the man in the priest.” He was reminding us that every priest (bishop or deacon) is a human being with faults and failings that are part of our sinful human condition. The grace of ordination assists the priest (bishop or deacon) on the path to holiness, but it does not guarantee anything like perfection. Like the rest of us, ordained clergy must lead a life of ongoing conversion. They must receive the sacraments with open hearts; they must meditate on God’s Word and pray without ceasing; and, perhaps most difficult of all, they must strive to practice what they preach so as to never appear to be “holier than thou.”

Archbishop Daniel also used to say that bishops, priests, deacons and all who exercise leadership in the Church must be held to the highest standards of morality and accountability. The moment we excuse the sins of the clergy as though they were somehow exempt from close scrutiny, we commit the grave sin of clericalism. At the same time, when we expect our bishops, priests, deacons and lay leaders in the Church to be perfect, we also commit a grave sin and we set ourselves up to be bitterly disappointed and angry.

Bitter experience has taught us that sexual abuse of children by adults is more than a moral failure. It is the result of deep-seated problems that can never be ignored (“swept under the carpet”) or successfully treated therapeutically. Had more bishops (and their counsellors and attorneys) recognized this reality, many innocent children might have been spared the horrors of clergy sexual abuse. 

Let’s hope that same bitter experience has also taught us to regard bishops, priests, deacons and others in authority in our Church as the wounded healers and servant leaders they are called to be. Let’s not put anyone on a pedestal or give anyone a free pass when it comes to moral transparency and accountability.

We are all sinners in need of forgiveness. May the God of justice and mercy give us all the serenity, courage and wisdom to accept our human weaknesses even as we work together to change and grow as faithful disciples of the one and only High Priest, Jesus Christ.

Daniel Conway