Sex Abuse Scandals Against Catholic Dioceses Just Keep Coming


This week it was a New Jersey diocese, 1,000 alleged cases. Then there was the New Orleans parish which has agreed to pay $180 million to cover 500 cases. 

I mentioned yesterday an experience from several years ago when a priest friend told all of us at the dinner party that the Catholic denomination is so well organized. If it exists to do good  and it well organized how could such widespread wickedness go on and on for such a long time? Yes, child abuse happens in every profession. But the cruel nature of it in the church and the claim of being well organized and worth of praise and importance puts it in the category of the worst.

While it may be difficult to document, it seems to me these never-ending sex scandals have to be hurting the Catholic denomination and all of Christianity. Efforts are being made to put it in a good light but with no end in sight the future is dim.

The denomination has a policy now to turn over to law enforcement priests who have been accused of child abuse. This does not mean the policy will always be followed. There remains the problem that Catholic clergy are told from the start they are a special group of men, called to the priesthood by Jesus himself. I think the first instinct of every Bishop is to hide alleged abusers and save the denomination from embarrassment. Perhaps most of the time alleged abusers will be turned over. But every time? Have my doubts.

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