"Mad Mel" and Catholicism

I don't want to hear the tapes.

You know which tapes I'm talking about.

The ones that are all over the Internet and that are talked about on the radio and that are front and center on grocery store tabloid magazines.

The ones where Mel Gibson allegedly has a complete breakdown and spews the most horrific vitriol at his ex-girlfriend, the mother of one of his children.

I have no idea if these tapes are real. And even if they are, I have no idea what kind of provocation led up to the kind of rants that are apparently on the tapes.

The one thing that I keep hearing, though, is how he was "such a devout Catholic." This is being used to denigrate the Catholic faith and is fodder for jokes.

Catholic bloggers have been quiet on this issue.

Not me.

If these tapes are authentic, the verbal abuse and hate speech on them represent the Catholic Church and my faith no more than do the actions of priests who have committed atrocious acts against children and teens.

Teachers who abuse and have sexual contact with their students do not represent the teaching profession of which I was a part. They are horrific aberrations in a noble profession.

Married men and women who cheat on their spouses without remorse do not represent healthy marriages.

I hope these tapes are proved to be fakes. But if not, I pray that Mr. Gibson will find healing and redemption in the true Church.