The Epstein Files and the Trap of Collective Guilt: Why Faith Must Guide Us Beyond the Scandals - English

In late January 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice released over 3 million pages of documents, thousands of videos, and hundreds of thousands of images related to Jeffrey Epstein, following the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed by President Trump in November 2025. The massive dump has once again thrust the names of the global elite — politicians, billionaires, royals, business leaders, and celebrities — into the spotlight.

Some associations are deeply disturbing. Others appear to be social or professional contacts with no proven wrongdoing. And many names surface simply because they moved in the same rarefied circles as a man who weaponized wealth and access for evil.

This is where we must be extremely careful.

There is a seductive line of thinking spreading right now: If they're all on the list, they're all guilty. And if the powerful who promoted certain values are tainted, then those values themselves must be suspect.

Assume, for the sake of argument, that every name mentioned is guilty of something serious. Does that automatically invalidate the causes they publicly championed? If a prominent figure who fought against abortion, defended Christian principles, or opposed radical gender ideology ends up implicated, does that render their entire platform a manipulation tactic designed to divide us?

The answer must be a resounding no.

Faith and the Church existed long before any modern political movement or scandal. They will remain long after the powerful of this age have fallen — as they always do. Christ Himself said He came not to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). He came to divide truth from falsehood, light from darkness, and fidelity from compromise. As the Church teaches, this division is not arbitrary but rooted in the demands of truth: the Gospel calls us to choose sides in the moral order, even when it separates families or societies.

We cannot fall into the trap of thinking that because many of "those at the top" are corrupt, everything they touched or defended must also be corrupt. That is exactly the kind of reasoning that leads people to abandon the fight for the common good — spiritual as well as material.

Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that politics, when practiced rightly, serves the common good, which is "the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily" (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 164; cf. Gaudium et Spes, 26). This common good is not merely economic; it encompasses the spiritual and moral welfare of persons. Pope St. John XXIII emphasized: "It is imperative that no one…indulge in a merely individualistic morality. The best way to fulfill one’s obligations of justice and love is to contribute to the common good according to one’s means and the needs of others" (Mater et Magistra, 65).

True politics appeals to the majority in their spiritual center, not only the economic one. As Pope Leo XIII taught in Rerum Novarum: "The foremost duty…of the rulers of the State should be to make sure that the laws and institutions…shall be such as of themselves to realize public well-being and private prosperity…through moral rule, well-regulated family life, respect for religion and justice" (32). Politics has a moral function: protecting human rights, promoting virtue, and serving the common good, even through imperfect instruments.

Leaders — whether in government, business, or even the Church — will always be flawed. They rise and they fall. History and Scripture both confirm this. The Compendium acknowledges that corruption distorts institutions and hinders progress (411), yet it does not invalidate the pursuit of justice or the common good. The Church condemns corruption as a serious evil against justice and the poor, but calls us to persevere in virtue regardless of human failings.

The only Perfect One is God.

This is why we must remain firm in the Faith. When a movement, however imperfect its leaders, defends what is objectively good and true — protecting life, family, and human dignity — it is wiser to support that movement than to do nothing out of fear of contamination by association. As the Church teaches, "Christians must be conscious of their specific and proper role in the political community; they should be a shining example by their sense of responsibility and their dedication to the common good" (Gaudium et Spes, 75).

Saint Michael the Archangel, defender against the snares of the devil, pray for us. Who is like God?