November 25, 2005

Keeping dark secrets won't heal wounds of priest-abuse victims

DELAWARE
The News Journal

11/25/2005
When Catholic Church officials refuse to release the names of priests who molested children, they call it "privileged information."

Everyone else knows it for what it really is: old-fashioned stonewalling.

Committing grievous crimes and then covering them up for decades doesn't bestow privilege on anyone. So it would best if the secret keepers stopped pretending their stand is based on high-minded principle.

Victims and their families, naturally, view this tragedy a betrayal of trust, as dramatically shown in a recent series of News Journal articles. Unfortunately, in Delaware the legal system failed them too.

Posted by kshaw at November 25, 2005 08:11 AM