Monday Morning Quarterbacks

Hindsight is always 20/20. There are thousands of examples of people who say "if only they had done this, this never would have happened". Or when we look at our lives, there is always something that we wish we could have changed. The truth of it, though, is that more often than not, those in charge of a sensitive situation did the best they could with the hand they were dealt, and we would have done no better if we were them. What am I thinking of in particular? I am thinking of the rather mean-spirited people who denounce Church leadership, and howl like wild monkeys that the Church should have handled the sex abuse cases better or differently. Are they right? Yes. The Church should have done better. Did the Church do better? No. Our leaders did what they thought was right at the time, and that is all we can ask for. Perhaps not all of the information was present to them at the time, or perhaps at worst, some Bishops knew but chose to do nothing, hoping the matter would resolve itself in the private sector. Was that wrong? Yes. Can we change what happened? No. But we can prepare better for the future. The howling baboons beating the ground with their palms and screeching for blood need to be caged for a time until they settle down and think for a moment. Punishment must be dealed out, and preparations must be made so it does not happen ever again. But for the vengeful ones whose thirst for blood is never quenched, I believe darker forces are at work in their sad, sick hearts.