A priest in Padua, Italy, is likely to be stripped of his priesthood because of incredibly lewd behavior–including “organizing orgies on church property” and visits to “a naturist swingers’ resort,” along with a few other activities which I prefer not to repeat ( http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/italian-priest-catholic-church-don-andrea-contin-accused-of-carrying-vibrators-sex-toys-masks-a7564096.html ).
Police have established his guilt beyond a doubt–in fact, he has confessed (and I don’t mean in a confessional booth)–and the Church does seem resolved to kick him out, which of course it should.
There have always been corrupt and wicked clergymen–read Dante, if you don’t believe me. If I knew how to set up a church wherein corruption would not be possible, I’d lay it out for all the world to see. But I do think that for any institution containing human beings, including a church, the bigger, the richer, and the more powerful the institution, the greater the corruption.
These are the people who, some centuries ago, wouldn’t let us have the Bible and persecuted, and killed, those who sought to make God’s word accessible to us. Our freedom to consult the Bible whenever we please was not won without the shedding of much blood.
We don’t do away with the church. Certainly there’s nothing in the Bible that tells us to do that! But we don’t set aside God’s word. Not for anybody.