I can turn this into a song, but I’d sharpen the target: the institution, the abuse, and the hypocrisy, rather than literally calling every priest a pedophile. That makes the accusation hit harder because it leaves room for the documented abuse and institutional failures to carry the weight. Priesthood Verse 1 What the fuck is priesthood? What was it meant to be? Presbyter An old man Standing over me How did we decide That somebody gets to say What I can think What I can feel How I should live each day? A robe A title A seat above the rest A holy hand upon the head A collar on the chest Chorus What happens in the house of God When the children aren’t safe? What happens when the shepherd Is the wolf inside the gate? You call it holy You call it sacred You call it something we must trust But when the innocent are sacrificed The institution has betrayed us Verse 2 How many voices disappeared Behind those wooden doors? How many children learned too young What silence was enforced for? And how many looked away To protect the name? Protect the church Protect the robes Protect the sacred game? Don’t tell me it’s just one man When silence built the wall When power protects power The question isn’t one at all Chorus What happens in the house of God When the children aren’t safe? What happens when the shepherd Is the wolf inside the gate? You call it holy You call it sacred You tell us we must trust But anything that shields abuse Has forfeited that trust Bridge I don’t want your institution If it costs a child their voice I don’t want your holy hierarchy If silence is the price I don’t want another promise That everything will be alright I want the truth brought into daylight No more hiding No more protecting No more turning children’s pain Into somebody else’s secret Breakdown Burn the system Not the child Burn the silence Burn the lie Tear down every wall That teaches children To obey When obedience becomes protection For the ones who cause the pain Then obedience Must end Final Chorus What happens in the house of God When the children aren’t safe? What happens when the shepherd Has forgotten why he came? No robe makes a man holy No title makes him just Power without accountability Is something we should never trust So what was priesthood meant to be? Service Truth Protection Not power over the weak Not silence over suffering Not hands upon the innocent We don’t need another priest To tell us what is right We need people brave enough To drag the hidden into light No more sacred silence No more holy lies Look the children in the eyes And tell the truth.
