NIMBY stands for Not in My Backyard. William Cardinal Keeler was in town to speak at Sunday night’s Eternal Light Awards dinner in St. Petersburg. The Cardinal had just been presented with the award for his work on behalf of interreligious dialogue among Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Keeler spoke about the importance of bridging the gap between these faith communities. However, his passion for building bridges with other faiths only made the contradiction clearer. Why would a churchman such as Keeler dedicate his life to building bridges and neglect the most important bridge of all-the bridge to victims of sexual abuse?
I have no reason nor intention to impugn the Cardinal’s character. But my question remains-why show so much concern for building bridges between faiths when there is so much repair to be done in your own faith? Why would a man like Keeler lobby the Maryland legislature to drop a proposal that could bring justice and perhaps healing to victims of sexual abuse?
My only answer is NIMBY-Not in My Backyard; let Justice and Compassion spring forth in far off lands-just not in my backyard.
Let peace and reconciliation grow among Jews, Muslims, and Christians-just not in my backyard where some of my flock have been abused by my shepherds.