NEVADA
Lahontan Valley News
July 16, 2005
By Montie Pierce
The Catholic Church has taken some pretty devastating hits as of late, and it's not over yet, as the tip of the iceberg is just emerging. What is turning out to be the largest, most heinous era of child molestation and abuse is bringing protests and lawsuits to parishes and dioceses throughout the world. The prevalence of this seems to be in the United States, but let's not fool ourselves - this isn't just a "continental" scourge.
A great deal of media exposure seems to have picked up speed in the light of Pope John Paul's death. We were forced to absorb almost three weeks' worth of MSNBC and other news channels interviewing every person who ever shook hands with or said "hello" to this man: One week during his suffering, another week after his death, several days preceding his funeral, and still another three or four days after he was entombed.
Almost immediately after the funeral, MSNBC, CNN and others began the public relations drive to make him a saint - even though this is decided by the College of Cardinals some time after the funeral, by Vatican law. ...
So, why sainthood? That's a hard one to figure, but I think I can come up with some reasons why Pope John Paul should NOT be made a Saint. His tenure IS marked however, with the revelation of the largest, and by that I mean worldwide, sexual and child abuse scandal in the history of modern man.
Not only that, but the dear, kind old pontiff was a central figure in relegating this to a degree of non-importance, disguising, and also a direct covering-up by the Vatican. Pope John Paul was "at the helm" of this shameful exercise by supposedly the most Holy of the Holy. Let's put it this way: Watergate had Richard Nixon; UN-Holygate had Pope John Paul.
Heads of dioceses facing dozens of sexual abuse charges, and facing charges of "knowing about it, but ignoring it" were "rescued" by the pontiff - they were given "plumb" jobs in the Vatican to keep them out of prisons. The Archbishop of the Boston Diocese, as depicted in the true-to-life movie, "Our Fathers," would have, had he gone to trial, faced up to 30 years in prison. Instead he made the "leap Of faith" from Boston all the way to the Vatican, where he is today, hiding behind the papal robes.