# Secrecy in the Catholic Church is a serious problem **URL:** \ **Category:** Popular Media\ **Created:** [May 17, 2023, 5:56am UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/secrecy-in-the-catholic-church-is-a-serious-problem/482 "2023-05-17T05:56:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LoryG](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/loryg/32/95_2.png) [@LoryG](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/LoryG)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 5:56am UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/secrecy-in-the-catholic-church-is-a-serious-problem/482/1 "2023-05-17T05:56:09Z")
The story of the Carmelite Monks is chilling > **[What Is The Carmelite Monks Wyoming Scandal?](https://www.patheos.com/blogs/teainlaurikasgarden/2023/05/what-is-the-carmelite-monks-wyoming-scandal/)** > > When a person hears the word "monk" they think od deep prayer, but when it comes to the Carmelite Monks, the story is completely different ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2023, 4:15pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/secrecy-in-the-catholic-church-is-a-serious-problem/482/2 "2023-05-17T16:15:30Z")
It sounds like good will come from bringing this into the light. ---
**Author:** ![EarthsStudent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@EarthsStudent](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/EarthsStudent)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 8:28am UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/secrecy-in-the-catholic-church-is-a-serious-problem/482/3 "2025-10-03T08:28:05Z")
Yeah, it is. It’s a huge part of why I left it. I have a really hard time believing in something when we’re not given certain pieces of information. The least they can do is give us every book of The Bible and let us make up our own minds. And no offense, but nowadays, there’s just way too much disinformation out there that, you’d be lucky to find anything close to true without bias, prejudice, discrimination, etc… being in the information you’re looking at. Hiding information (or willful omittance) is very dishonest. And when the Catholic Church claims to be the true religion of Jesus Christ, then why are we hiding things? God I think would want us to know as much as we could. I can’t support the omittance of information. It’s no different than me taking a puzzle piece to a puzzle someone was working on and throw it into the woods. You can’t make a puzzle complete without all the pieces fitting together. Sorry for the bluntness, but nowadays, being blunt is a rarity, cause too many people trust too many people. ---
**Author:** ![Literalman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/literalman/32/117_2.png) [@Literalman](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Literalman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 12:58pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/secrecy-in-the-catholic-church-is-a-serious-problem/482/5 "2025-10-03T12:58:35Z")
I too am fed up with the secrecy. What I personally experienced was more than 20 years ago, but I don’t trust the clergy or hierarchy to tell us the truth. The first incident was somewhat trivial: the bishop said we could have meat on St. Patrick’s Day, which fell on a Friday that year, but our pastor didn’t tell us that (maybe he thought it was for our own good to not know). Same parish: a different pastor was here today, gone tomorrow, with no explanation to us parishioners. We read in the newspaper that he quit after being accused of having pornographic videos. The newspaper mentioned that the diocese tried to get the accusations put under a court order to seal them from public view. Are things better now? I think so. Are things still being hidden? I would bet my last dime that they are. ---
**Author:** ![Literalman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/literalman/32/117_2.png) [@Literalman](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Literalman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 1:01pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/secrecy-in-the-catholic-church-is-a-serious-problem/482/6 "2025-10-03T13:01:58Z")
I should add that there are some clergy and hierarchy that I trust personally. I trust our parochial administrator, I trusted the three pastors I had before that and some other priests and deacons, and I trust Bishop Burbidge, who was Bishop of Arlington (Va.) the last few years I lived in that diocese. There are other good men and women too. ---
**Author:** ![Tommy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@Tommy](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Tommy)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 12:15am UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/secrecy-in-the-catholic-church-is-a-serious-problem/482/8 "2026-06-25T00:15:26Z")
I would never consider abandoning Christs’ Church because of “secrecy”, scandal, or conspiracy theories. To do so would ultimately be an EXCUSE to leave the Church or decent from its’ teachings, Sacraments, and Way. If I’m open to abandoning the Church, such an act would only be the means of truth that I was never really was a Catholic Christian to begin with. Thus I would be guilty of hypocrisy and/or apostacy. ---
**Author:** ![Pax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f0a364/32.png) [@Pax](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Pax)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2026, 12:44am UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/secrecy-in-the-catholic-church-is-a-serious-problem/482/9 "2026-06-25T00:44:48Z")
I do believe the Roman Catholic Church is the only institution on Earth that has/could/would survive the sex abuse scandals it has had, comparatively speaking. I can’t think of any other institution that people would continue to be a part of or continue to contribute to if the scope was the same (e.g. systemic cover up from the topmost hierarchy on down for likely a century or longer, the pervasiveness, the scope, etc). The Boy Scouts would be a good example. There has been sex abuse scandal in that organization, but if the level, length and scope had been to the same degree, I can’t envision anyone continuing to be loyal to it as an organization and I would presume it’s demise. ---
**Author:** ![RanagC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/54ee81/32.png) [@RanagC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/RanagC)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 3:35pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/secrecy-in-the-catholic-church-is-a-serious-problem/482/11 "2026-09-21T15:35:14Z")
Agreed - We are all human and thus subject to failure. This is why transparency is important. However I believe that changes should be introduced, which allows for natural oversight, which is why I am interested in exploring the principles raised in Pope Leo’s Encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. ---
**Author:** ![Cade\_One](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/cade_one/32/34_2.png) [@Cade\_One](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/Cade_One)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/secrecy-in-the-catholic-church-is-a-serious-problem/482/12 "2026-09-21T17:05:40Z")
> [@Pax](#): > > I can’t think of any other institution that people would continue to be a part of or continue to contribute to if the scope was the same (e.g. systemic cover up from the topmost hierarchy on down for likely a century or longer, the pervasiveness, the scope, etc). You may be right. We’ll see if the United State’s Government lasts. Both Republicans and Democrats are covering up for Epstein and those caught up in that scandal. And the American people still support politicians who are assisting in the cover-up. > [@](#): > > The Boy Scouts would be a good example. There has been sex abuse scandal in that organization, but if the level, length and scope had been to the same degree, I can’t envision anyone continuing to be loyal to it as an organization and I would presume it’s demise. There is a Boy Scouts troop at our Church unfortunately. Why they do not switch to one of the Christian alternatives (_Trail Life USA_ or _Troops of Saint George_), is mind boggling! Needless to say that I did not financially support the Scout’s popcorn fundraiser after Mass yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![DisneySaint](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex015/user_avatar/forum.catholictalk.net/disneysaint/32/1448_2.png) [@DisneySaint](https://forum.catholictalk.net/u/DisneySaint)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2026, 11:46pm UTC](https://forum.catholictalk.net/t/secrecy-in-the-catholic-church-is-a-serious-problem/482/13 "2026-09-23T23:46:54Z")
We don’t need secrecy.