How to Teach the Church’s Human Side Without Losing Faith?

Brief Overview

• The Catholic Church is made up of humans who are imperfect and capable of making mistakes, which is an important truth to teach to others in a way that strengthens rather than weakens faith.
• Jesus Christ founded the Church on Peter, a man who denied him three times, showing that God works through human weakness from the very beginning.
• The history of the Church includes both inspiring examples of holiness and examples of human failure, and both aspects help us understand what it means to follow Christ.
• Teaching about the Church’s human struggles can actually help people develop a more mature and realistic faith that is not based on perfection but on God’s grace.
• Catholics should learn that the Church’s authority and truth come from Christ, not from the personal holiness of every individual member, which protects faith even when people fail.
• By acknowledging the Church’s human side honestly, we show respect for truth and help others see that faith is about trusting God, not trusting people to be perfect.

The Foundation of the Church Built on Human Weakness

The Catholic Church rests on a foundation that includes human weakness from the very start. Jesus chose Peter as the leader of the Church, and Peter was a man who made mistakes and failed when tested. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus says that on this rock he will build his Church, and Peter is that rock. Yet we see in Matthew 26:33-35 that Peter promised to stay with Jesus even unto death, only to deny knowing him three times just hours later. This is not a secret the Church hides; it is right there in the Gospels for anyone to read. Teaching others about Peter’s denial helps them see that God chooses to work through human beings despite their flaws. Peter’s weakness did not disqualify him from leading the Church because his authority came from Christ, not from his own perfection. This same pattern continues throughout the history of the Church; God works through imperfect people. When we teach this truth, we help people understand that faith in the Church is really faith in Christ’s promise to guide it, not faith in the people who run it. This distinction is crucial for helping people maintain their faith when they encounter human failure in the Church. The Church’s foundation is strong not because all its members are holy but because Christ promised to remain with it always, as stated in Matthew 28:20.

Why the Church Teaches Truth Despite Human Failure

One of the most important things to teach is that the Church’s teachings come from Christ and remain true even when Church members fail to live by them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that Christ entrusted his message to the apostles and their successors (CCC 86). This means that the truth of Catholic teaching does not depend on whether every priest or bishop lives a holy life. When we teach others about Church teaching on marriage, truth, or forgiveness, we are teaching what Christ revealed, not the personal opinions of imperfect humans. A priest who teaches about the beauty of marriage while struggling with his own weaknesses is still teaching truth. His personal struggles do not make the teaching false or less worthy of consideration. This is similar to how a math teacher can be disorganized in his personal life while still teaching correct mathematics. The Church’s message is about Christ and his love, and this message stands firm even when the people delivering it are flawed. Teaching this helps people see that they should evaluate the Church’s teachings on their own merit, rooted in Scripture and tradition, rather than basing their faith on the perfection of Church leaders. This approach actually strengthens faith because it roots belief in something solid and unchanging rather than in the personal character of any one person.

Acknowledging Scandals and Failures with Honesty

Catholics who teach the faith should not shy away from discussing the real failures and scandals that have occurred in the Church throughout its history. The Church has had corrupt popes, priests who abused their power, bishops who made terrible decisions, and members who acted against the very teachings they professed. These are historical facts, and hiding them damages credibility and makes faith seem fragile. When we acknowledge these failures openly and honestly, we show that our faith is not based on denying reality. Instead, we show that faith survives and grows stronger when we face truth directly. The sexual abuse crisis is one of the most painful examples in recent history, and it should be discussed frankly with those we teach. We can acknowledge the severity of what happened, the suffering of victims, and the failures of leadership without abandoning our faith in Christ or the truths the Church teaches. In fact, confronting these failures head-on allows us to explain how the Church has processes for reform and accountability, though these processes sometimes work too slowly. By being honest about problems, we show that we trust in God’s truth more than we trust in pretending everything is fine. This honesty also opens space for people to ask hard questions and receive thoughtful answers rather than feeling they must choose between faith and facing reality. Teaching in this way models intellectual honesty and shows respect for the people we are teaching.

The Role of Imperfect Saints in Church History

Throughout its history, the Catholic Church has been led and guided by saints, many of whom were quite flawed before they became holy. Saint Augustine lived a life of serious sin before his conversion, yet he became one of the most important teachers in the Church. Saint Francis of Assisi was the son of a wealthy merchant who lived for worldly pleasures before his radical conversion. Saint Paul himself persecuted Christians before he met Christ on the road to Damascus, as described in Acts 9:1-19. When we teach people about the saints, we should not present them as people who were always perfect from birth. Instead, we should show how they struggled, fell, repented, and grew in holiness over time. Their stories demonstrate that becoming a person of faith is not an instant transformation but a lifelong process of turning toward God. These saints show us that failure and weakness can be the very thing that teaches us to depend on God’s grace. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught about God’s truth despite his own temptations and struggles. Saint Catherine of Siena worked for reform in the Church even though she lived in a time of great corruption among Church leaders. By studying the real lives of saints, not sanitized versions, people learn that holiness develops in people who are willing to face their failures and ask for God’s help. This makes holiness seem possible for ordinary people who also struggle and fail. Teaching about the saints’ humanity alongside their sanctity creates a more realistic and inspiring picture of what it means to follow Christ.

How to Discuss Corruption and Reform in the Church

When teaching about corruption in the Church, we need to explain how it happens and how the Church has systems in place to address it. Corruption enters the Church because sinful human beings run it, and sin is part of the human condition. Popes have sometimes been corrupt, bishops have sometimes made decisions based on power rather than faith, and priests have sometimes used their position for personal gain. These are not new problems; they have occurred throughout Church history. The Church’s teachings on morality and holiness stand in direct opposition to corruption, which means corruption is a failure to live by Church teaching, not a failure of Church teaching itself. When corruption happens, the Church has mechanisms for addressing it, such as the process of removing bad bishops or investigating serious wrongdoing. These processes do not always work as quickly as they should, and this is a real failure that should be discussed. However, it is important to note that the Church does have accountability structures and that reform is possible. Many popes have worked to reform the Church when corruption was discovered. Vatican II brought about significant reforms in the Church’s practices and understanding. Teaching people to see corruption as a serious problem that requires reform, rather than as a reason to lose faith, helps them develop a mature perspective. They learn that being Catholic means wanting the Church to be better and working for that improvement, while also trusting in God’s faithfulness to his Church.

Teaching About Moral Failures of Individual Church Members

Individual Catholics, including priests and bishops, sometimes fail to live moral lives. Priests have broken their vows of celibacy, bishops have made poor decisions that hurt people, and Catholic teachers have sometimes not practiced what they preach. When teaching about these failures, it is important to maintain a clear distinction between the personal sins of individuals and the teachings of the Church. A priest who steals is committing a serious sin against Church teaching on honesty and respect for property. His personal sin does not change what the Church teaches about theft or morality. Similarly, a bishop who mishandles a case of abuse is failing to live by the Church’s teaching on justice and protection of the vulnerable. His failure does not mean the Church’s teaching on justice is wrong. This distinction helps people understand that they can trust Church teaching while remaining realistic about the people who teach it. It also explains why we judge the Church’s teachings by the standard of what they teach, not by the standard of whether everyone follows them perfectly. When we teach this way, we show that faith in the Church’s truth does not require believing that all Church members are good people. This is actually more honest and more sustainable than asking people to believe something that is clearly not true. Teaching others to hold this nuanced view helps them see that criticism of Church members’ failures can coexist with respect for Church teaching and love for the Church itself.

The Role of Grace in Human Weakness

Catholic teaching tells us that God offers his grace to all people to help them become holy and to forgive them when they fail. Grace is God’s free gift and it is more powerful than human weakness. When teaching about the Church’s human side, we should explain that grace is the reason the Church survives and continues to bear fruit despite human failure. The Church teaches that sin is real and serious, but that Christ’s grace is more powerful than sin (CCC 1846-1847). This means that even when Church members commit serious sins, grace is available to them for repentance and conversion. When we teach this, we help people see that the existence of sin in the Church is not a sign that God has abandoned the Church but rather an opportunity for the Church to witness to grace and forgiveness. The Gospels show Jesus working with sinful people and calling them to conversion. In John 8:1-11, Jesus encounters a woman caught in adultery and offers her forgiveness and a chance to change her life. He shows her that she is worthy of grace despite her failure. The Church is meant to be a place where this same grace is available to all people. When Church members fail, they have the same opportunity to repent and receive grace that is available to everyone else. Teaching people about grace helps them see that the Church’s failures can lead to conversations about repentance, conversion, and the power of God’s mercy. This transforms how people view Church scandals from pure tragedy to moments where the Church can demonstrate what it actually teaches about forgiveness and change.

Teaching the Marks of the Church in Light of Human Failure

The Church teaches that the Church is one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic (CCC 811-865). When people learn that Church members have failed and acted wickedly, they sometimes wonder how the Church can claim to be holy. Teaching about the Church’s marks in light of human failure requires explaining what these marks really mean. The Church is holy not because all its members are perfect but because Christ, who is holy, is the head of the Church and the source of its life. The holiness of the Church is something that comes from Christ and is offered to members through grace, not something earned by human effort. When individual members fail to be holy, they are rejecting the offer of grace available to them, but they do not destroy the Church’s holiness. The Church remains one because Christ is its head, even when members disagree or sin. The Church remains Catholic because it is universal in its calling and reaches out to all people, even when some members act unjustly. The Church remains apostolic because it continues the teaching and mission of the apostles, even when apostolic leaders sometimes fail to live up to their calling. Teaching about the marks of the Church in this way helps people understand that the Church’s holiness is not destroyed by human sin but is always available as an offer to every person who seeks it. This helps people maintain faith even when they encounter failures in the Church.

How Personal Holiness Relates to Credibility

When teaching about the Church, it is worth discussing how the personal holiness of Church members affects their credibility even though it does not affect the truth of their message. A priest who lives a holy life is more persuasive when he teaches about virtue and grace than a priest who clearly does not practice what he preaches. This is not because his teaching is more true if he is holy, but because people are more inclined to listen to someone who shows signs of sincerely believing what they teach. However, a priest who struggles with sin can still teach truth, and his struggle might even make his teaching more relatable and powerful. When we teach people to think about credibility in this way, they learn to ask good questions. They can appreciate a teacher who is honest about his own struggles and still takes his teaching seriously. They can also be appropriately cautious about a teacher who seems to deny any personal difficulty while teaching very strict rules. Teaching about credibility helps people develop wisdom about who to listen to and why. It also helps them understand that personal holiness is important for the witness of the Church, even though personal holiness is not what makes Church teaching true. This encourages Catholics to work on their own holiness, not because it changes the truth, but because their holiness helps others see the power of what the Church teaches.

Understanding the Church as a Mixed Body of Saints and Sinners

Augustine described the Church as a mixed body of saints and sinners living together until the end of time. This teaching helps us understand what to expect when we encounter human failure in the Church. The Church is not meant to be a society of perfect people but rather a community where people of all levels of holiness are working toward conversion and growth in faith. Jesus himself taught this in the parable of the wheat and the weeds in Matthew 13:24-30, where he describes a field where both wheat and weeds grow together until the harvest. The Church in this world contains both people who are seriously committed to following Christ and people who are only nominally Catholic or who actively work against Church teachings. This should not shock us or cause us to lose faith. Instead, it should help us understand what the Church is meant to be. The Church is a hospital for souls, not a museum of saints. It exists to bring healing and grace to sinners, which means it will always contain people who are struggling with sin. When we teach this understanding, we help people see that encountering sinfulness in the Church is normal and expected. It does not mean the Church is failing; it means the Church is doing exactly what it is supposed to do, which is to offer grace to sinners. This perspective helps people maintain their faith and also gives them patience with the Church and its members.

The Importance of Institutional Structures and Accountability

While it is true that the Church depends on God’s grace, it is also true that the Church benefits from strong institutional structures that promote accountability and prevent abuse of power. Teaching people about these structures helps them see that the Church takes seriously the need to protect people from harm. The Church has hierarchical structure with bishops overseeing priests and the pope overseeing bishops (CCC 877-896). This structure is meant to provide oversight and accountability. When this structure works well, it can prevent individuals from abusing their power. When this structure fails, it can allow serious problems to continue unchecked. The sexual abuse crisis revealed that accountability structures sometimes failed, and victims were not protected as they should have been. Teaching about these failures while also discussing the reforms that have been put in place helps people see that the Church is working to do better. The Vatican has established procedures for investigating accusations against bishops, removed bishops who were found to be guilty of mishandling abuse cases, and implemented policies to protect children. These are not perfect solutions, but they show that the Church is taking accountability seriously. Teaching people about these structures and reforms helps them understand that faith in the Church can include holding the Church accountable for protecting vulnerable people. This shows that genuine love for the Church means wanting it to function well and to live up to its own teachings about justice and care for the vulnerable.

How to Address Questions About Why God Allows Failure in the Church

People often ask why God allows bad things to happen in the Church if God loves and guides the Church. This is a version of the larger problem of suffering in the world, and it deserves a thoughtful response. Catholic teaching tells us that God respects human freedom (CCC 1731-1748). God does not force people to be good, and God does not prevent all bad consequences that result from human choices. God has given people free will, and this freedom is a gift, even though it means people can choose to do evil things. The Church has the same kind of freedom that individual people have. The Church is guided by God’s grace, but it is also composed of people who have free will and can choose to ignore God’s guidance. When Church members abuse their power or commit sins, they are exercising their freedom in a way that goes against God’s will. God allows this to happen because God respects human freedom. This does not mean God approves of the evil that happens; it means God has chosen to work in a world where people are free. God also works through these failures to bring about good things. Many people have drawn closer to faith through learning to hold realistic views of the Church and what it means to trust God rather than people. Many reforms have been initiated because of awareness of problems. Teaching people about free will and God’s respect for it helps them see that the existence of evil in the Church does not prove that God is absent or weak, but rather reflects the kind of world God has chosen to create, where human beings are genuinely free.

Teaching Faith in the Church’s Authority Despite Human Failure

The Church teaches that Christ gave authority to the apostles and their successors to teach and lead (CCC 857-862). This authority comes from Christ, not from the personal character of the person who holds it. A bishop or pope who personally fails still holds the authority to teach the faith and govern the Church. This is one of the most difficult ideas to teach because people naturally wonder how they can trust authority that comes from a person who is failing. However, the teaching about authority rests on the understanding that authority in the Church comes from Christ, not from the people who exercise it. When we teach this, we help people see that they can respect Church authority while also maintaining appropriate skepticism about individual leaders. A person might disagree with a bishop about how he is handling a particular situation while still accepting that the bishop has the authority to govern the diocese. A person might be disappointed by the moral failures of a pope while still accepting papal teaching on faith and morals. This nuanced approach allows people to maintain faith in the Church’s authority structure while also maintaining the right to question and criticize how that authority is being used. Teaching this helps people develop a mature faith that is not naive about human weakness but also not cynical about the possibility of faith and trust.

The Calling to Work for Reform and Renewal

Teaching the Church’s human side includes teaching that Catholics have a responsibility to work for reform when the Church falls short of its own teachings. The Church is not meant to be a static institution; it is meant to grow and change in response to new challenges and deeper understanding of the faith. Vatican II brought about significant changes in the Church’s approach to worship, interfaith relations, and engagement with the modern world. These changes came about partly because people recognized that the Church needed to adapt and improve. Teaching that Catholics have a voice in reform helps people see that they are not passive observers of the Church but active participants in its life. This does not mean that all proposed changes should be adopted, or that individuals should ignore Church teaching in favor of their own preferences. But it does mean that Catholics can and should speak up when they see injustice or when they believe the Church could better live up to its mission. This kind of engaged faith is actually healthier than passive acceptance or cynical rejection. When we teach people that they have a role in the Church’s improvement, we help them see their faith as an active practice rather than something done to them. This engagement with the Church as it actually is, with its flaws and potential, is a form of love for the Church that strengthens faith rather than weakening it.

Distinguishing Between the Church’s Teaching and Church Culture

Sometimes what people perceive as problems with the Church are actually problems with Church culture rather than with Church teaching. For example, a parish might have a culture of cliquishness or exclusion, but this is not what the Church teaches. The Church teaches that all people are welcome and that the Church should be a place of community and belonging. When individuals in a parish fail to live out this teaching, it is a failure of Church culture, not a failure of Church teaching. Teaching people to make this distinction helps them see that they should criticize bad Church culture while maintaining faith in the Church’s teachings. A person might have had a bad experience in a particular parish and come away thinking that the Church does not care about welcoming people, but this would be a misunderstanding. The Church’s teaching is clear about welcome and inclusion, even if individual communities sometimes fall short. Helping people see this distinction can restore faith that was damaged by a bad Church experience. It also helps people work to improve Church culture by living out the Church’s teachings more faithfully. This approach transforms frustration with Church culture into motivation to be part of a better Church culture.

The Role of Prayer and Spiritual Discipline in Maintaining Faith

Teaching about the Church’s human side should include teaching about spiritual practices that help people maintain faith when they are struggling or discouraged. Prayer, participation in the sacraments, reading Scripture, and spiritual direction are all practices that connect people to God’s grace and help them see beyond the human failures they encounter. When a person is discouraged by Church scandals or the failures of Church leaders, these spiritual practices can provide the spiritual nourishment needed to maintain faith. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is particularly important because it teaches the entire Church’s teaching on repentance and forgiveness in a concrete way. When a person goes to confession, they experience the reality of God’s mercy and forgiveness in the person of the priest. This helps them see that the Church is a place of grace even when individuals fail. Reading Scripture helps people connect directly to the word of God without the intermediary of imperfect people. Prayer connects people directly to God and helps them experience God’s presence. Teaching people to engage in these spiritual practices helps them develop a faith that is rooted in their personal relationship with God rather than in their opinion of Church leaders. This is not a rejection of the Church but a deepening of faith that sustains people through difficulties.

Examples from Scripture of Faith Despite Human Failure

The Bible is full of examples of faithful people who followed God despite the failures of the leaders around them. In 1 Kings 12:25-33, the Northern Kingdom of Israel turns away from God under its leader Jeroboam, but there are still faithful people who maintain their relationship with God. In Jeremiah 23, the prophet criticizes the leaders of the people for failing to do their job, but he maintains faith in God’s faithfulness. The disciples of Jesus failed him repeatedly, denying him and abandoning him when he was arrested, as described in Matthew 26:56. Yet Jesus called them to continue his work after the resurrection, showing that human failure does not mean the end of God’s work. Teaching these biblical examples helps people see that the pattern of faithful people continuing to follow God despite failures in leadership is not new. It is part of the Bible’s own teaching about how to maintain faith. When we teach these examples, we help people see their own situation as part of a long tradition of people who had to wrestle with how to follow God while being realistic about human weakness. This connection to biblical tradition strengthens faith because it shows that the problem they are facing has been faced by believers throughout history, and faith has survived and grown stronger.

The Development of Doctrine and Understanding

The Church’s understanding of its own teachings has developed over time as the Church has reflected more deeply on Scripture and tradition. For example, the Church’s teaching on religious freedom developed gradually over centuries, with fuller articulation coming at Vatican II. The Church’s understanding of marriage and sexuality has also developed, with Church teaching becoming clearer about the dignity of women and the importance of consent. This development can sometimes make it seem like the Church has changed its mind or gotten things wrong in the past, but Catholic teaching explains this as a deepening understanding rather than a reversal. Teaching people about doctrinal development helps them see that the Church takes seriously the task of understanding what God has revealed. When the Church changes its understanding or emphasizes different aspects of teaching, this is often a sign of growth and development rather than a sign of instability. However, there have been times when Church leaders have simply been wrong about things, not because understanding developed but because they lacked important information or fell into error. For example, the Church’s historical teaching on slavery was wrong, and later Church teaching corrected this. Teaching that the Church can be wrong about some things while maintaining that it is guided by God’s truth in other things helps people develop a sophisticated understanding of how faith and human limitation interact. This kind of teaching helps people maintain faith while also maintaining intellectual honesty.

Integrating Historical Knowledge with Living Faith

When teaching about the Church’s human side, it is important to help people integrate historical knowledge with their living faith. History shows that the Church has had serious problems, that Church leaders have failed, and that Church institutions have sometimes caused harm. This history is important to know and take seriously. At the same time, Catholics believe that Christ remains with the Church and guides it through grace. Both of these things can be true at the same time. The Church is a human institution subject to all the failures of human institutions, and the Church is also a spiritual reality guided by God’s grace and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Teaching people to hold both of these truths together helps them develop a faith that is neither naive about the Church’s failures nor cynical about the possibility of God’s presence and guidance. This kind of integrated faith is stronger and more resilient than faith based on denying reality or faith based on cynicism. When people learn to embrace both the Church’s human reality and its spiritual reality, they develop the capacity to love the Church while also calling it to be better. They develop the capacity to trust God while also maintaining appropriate skepticism about human leaders. This is the kind of mature faith that the Church is meant to develop in its members.

Teaching Children About the Church with Honesty and Hope

When teaching children about the Church, we face a particular challenge because we want to give them faith without setting them up for disillusionment when they encounter the Church’s failures. The best approach is to teach children the truth about the Church in age-appropriate ways while also teaching them about God’s faithfulness. We can teach children about saints without making them seem superhuman; we can teach them that the saints were real people who struggled and failed before they became holy. We can teach children about Church teachings on goodness and justice while also explaining that people sometimes fail to live up to these teachings. We can teach children to love the Church and to be proud to be Catholic while also helping them develop the kind of realistic thinking that will help them maintain faith as they mature. When we do this, we prepare children to integrate the information they will eventually encounter about Church failures without losing their faith. We also prepare them to be the kind of Catholics who work for the Church’s improvement rather than either defending all failures or rejecting the Church entirely. Teaching children honestly about the Church is an act of love that protects their faith by rooting it in reality rather than in illusions that will eventually be shattered.

Building a Community of Faith That Acknowledges Reality

Finally, teaching the Church’s human side is most effective when we do it within a community of faith that acknowledges reality and supports each other. When Catholics gather to discuss the Church’s failures and their struggles with faith, they realize they are not alone. This community support helps people maintain faith and develop deeper understanding. Catholic communities can create spaces where people are invited to ask hard questions and discuss how to maintain faith while acknowledging real problems. This kind of honest conversation strengthens the community because it builds trust and allows people to support each other through difficult times. When we teach about the Church in the context of community, we also teach people that they are part of the Church. The Church is not something that happens to people; it is something that people create together. When Catholics understand themselves as part of the Church, they are more likely to take responsibility for the Church’s failures and to work for improvement. Teaching in community also allows people to learn from each other’s faith journeys and to see how others have maintained and grown their faith despite encountering difficulties. This is one of the most powerful ways to teach the faith, because it shows rather than just tells people that faith can survive and grow stronger when it is rooted in truth and supported by community.