BishopAccountability.org
	An Irony of Faith By Stefanie Williams Diamondback [Maryland] March 14, 2007 http://media.www.diamondbackonline.com/media/storage/paper873/ news/2007/03/14/Opinion/An.Irony.Of.Faith-2774522.shtml I am an irony of faith. I grew up in a strict Irish-Catholic household, I attended Catholic grammar school for six years, yet I have all but completely disaffiliated myself with Catholicism. And as I sat watching a CNN program which revolved around the abuse of two young children, now men, in a Catholic parish only miles from the campus, I was shocked not only at the allegations, but at the way in which Maryland's legislature responded. Thomas Roberts, a now well-known anchor on CNN, spent several years of his youth living a nightmare. When a priest both he and his family trusted and sought support from violated not only church laws but also state laws by molesting Roberts for more than three years, Roberts assumed there was no way out. A respected member of his community and of his parish, it would be difficult at best to convince anyone of the trauma the Rev. Jeff Toohey had inflicted on Roberts. For more than 20 years, he lived with the pain of a child abused and seemingly abandoned by those he trusted the most. In 2005, Roberts and another victim of Toohey's abuse came forward and sought legal charges against the priest for the years of damage he had caused. However, despite the bravery of the two men, the Maryland court system did seemingly everything but stand up against the behavior that so badly damaged Roberts for years. Despite Toohey pleading guilty to one count of sexual abuse of a minor, he was sentenced to only five years in a Maryland detention center, which was then reduced to 18 months. He was released to home arrest after 10 months. I read up on the case a little more to try to figure out why a convicted child sex abuser would be so leniently punished. I was shocked to learn that under the same Maryland court system, a man who was charged with overdue library books was sentenced to three years in prison. Roberts made a sickening comment that seemed to represent the ideology: "Is it safe to say then that Maryland values a book over a child?" Under Maryland's statute of limitations law, a person has seven years after they turn 18 to come forward with allegations of sexual abuse. Two bills, advocated by Roberts, suggested that the time frame for reporting a case of sexual abuse be extended to the age of 42 and/or allow a victim of any age to file a suit within a two-year span. Both bills were shot down, partly due to the vehement protests of Catholic churches around the state. So what exactly do Catholic churches have to hide? Clearly there have always been rumors, talk about the rampant abuse throughout Catholic institutions. But how much of it really is rumor? The church has an obligation to protect its parishioners and their children, yet so many cases of church cover-ups have been documented. Perhaps Catholic officials care not for the well-being of their "flock," but rather are willing to send them to the slaughterhouse in order to preserve control and respect. For some people, abuse is repressed for years, sometimes decades, before they are willing to even admit that this has happened to them. The current Maryland statute of limitations does nothing but protect child sex offenders all over the state, inside and outside of churches. What sickened me most about the entire case is that while Father Toohey was relieved of his pastoral duties, he still is officially a priest, and because of the time period of his conviction, he is not required to register on any sex offender list. I remember what it was to be a child in Catholic grammar school and the praise and trust I put into our own parish priests. It sickens me to think that not only does the church seem supremely unconcerned about these issues, but about enforcing rules and regulations that would condemn child molestation. While it is clear that there are thousands of honest, faith-driven priests in our country, it is also obvious that the church has a willingness to overlook and disregard allegations and solid convictions of abuse within their parishes. Even if in the end their true punishment may be up to God, Maryland needs to implement a stricter penalty for those who take advantage of their positions of faith and trust. Stefanie Williams is a junior English major. She can be reached at swills25@umd.edu.
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