CHARLOTTE (NC)
Charlotte Observer
From David Hains, director of communication, Diocese of Charlotte:
It was very dismaying to see the Catholic priesthood used as fodder in a humor column in the The Observer as it was in Doug Robarchek's column June 8. Suggesting that Michael Jackson should claim to be a Catholic priest as a defense in his child molestation case is an affront on many levels. It shows an appalling lack of sensitivity on the part of editors who approved the column.
The column insulted the 134 diocesan and religious order priests who meet the spiritual needs of nearly 300,000 Catholics in 92 churches and missions in the Diocese of Charlotte. These men and the overwhelming majority of all priests faithfully serve God and their parishes in ministry. Priests accept a call from the Lord to ministry and dedicate themselves to a life of hard work. Disparaging the priesthood because of the actions of a few is hurtful and unnecessary.
Making a joke about Catholic priests and child molestation also trivializes the diligent efforts of the Catholic Church over the last three years to root out, apologize and atone for the sinful crime of sex abuse. The Diocese of Charlotte adopted "The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People" in 2002. Two independent audits of the diocese have shown us to be in full compliance with the provisions of the charter and have even commended the diocese for its training program. More than 9,800 Catholics have attended training sessions designed to help them understand this crime and thereby protect children from sex abuse by any adult.
The Diocese of Charlotte has had very few cases of sexual misconduct by clergy. All of these incidents were dutifully reported in the secular media and the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic News & Herald. Details are available on the diocese website, www.CharlotteDiocese.org.
Posted by kshaw at June 12, 2005 06:29 AM