PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Philadelphia Inquirer
By Phil Joyce
In the flurry of news stories coming out of the Philadelphia grand jury report on sexual abuse by priests, I see a church I don't recognize.
I have been down the road with that church. It has served me well. I expect it will be doing the same for many others long after I and the scandal are gone - proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ.
In the years since my first Holy Communion in 1935, I had 16 years of Catholic schooling. I was a choirboy (not a good one) for four years and an altar boy for six years. As an adult, I was president of my parish council for several years.
As child and adult, I have known literally hundreds of members of the Catholic clergy - priests, nuns, brothers and deacons. I have grown to admire them for their devotion and dedication to the teachings of Christ. They have always treated me and my family with decency and respect.
In all that time, I have not seen or heard personally of any sexual abuse committed by any priest, nun, brother or deacon.