Monday, May 07, 2012

Clergy Sexual Abuse

by Edd Doerr

The Vatican's clergy sexual abuse scandal will not go away. Here's the latest:

New York Times editorial on May 7, "More Time for Justice: States need to extend the time for victims to bring claims against sexual abusers",  praises Hawaii for extending the statute of limitations for lawsuits by child victims, and notes that the Catholic bishops have been leading the fight to block such extensions.

Washington Post editorial on same day, "The Catholic Church's passivity: Despite avowals of progress, the church still grapples with sex abuse scandals", discusses the case of Rev Bradley Schaeffer, who became the head of the Jesuit order in the US. Schaeffer reportedly participated in the coverups of abusers. "Worryingly", the Post opines, "there are even signs that the church's passivity has morphed into hostility toward its accusers.".

My files on the matter are bulging just in the past two years with material from the Times, the National Catholic Reporter, and reports from Ireland. Meanwhile, what we hear from the Vatican and the bishops are pleas for tax support for the church's declining private schools and attacks on US nuns for pushing social justice while failing to jump into the bishops' campaigns against contraception, abortion and same-sex marriage.

Most Catholics are disgusted with the Old Boys Club with the funny hats and skirts.

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