August 07, 2005

Diocese needs to do more than promise

TOLEDO (OH)
Toledo Blade

Five super-size Lemmon Drops:

I watched Twist of Faith again last week.

After reading the article in last Sunday's paper about the Toledo Catholic diocese working with law enforcement to conceal sex-abuse cases for 50 years, I felt compelled to watch the Oscar-nominated documentary a second time.

For those not familiar with Twist of Faith, it chronicles the life of Toledo firefighter Tony Comes around the time he went public with allegations of sexual abuse by a former priest, Dennis Gray.

My reaction after watching it on HBO in June: It's a shame what the leadership of the diocese has put Mr. Comes through in recent years.

My reaction after watching it on tape last week: It's a damn shame what he's been put through.

The diocese's leaders seem incapable of owning up to what took place.

Their stall-and-deny strategy, as detailed in the documentary, left me with a profound sense of sadness. It's not something you would expect from one of society's pillars.

Posted by kshaw at August 7, 2005 08:27 AM