BishopAccountability.org
	The Church Scandal That Won't End By Roger Chesley The Virginian-Pilot [Virginia] June 30, 2007 http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=127627&ran=87768 I JUST WISH it would stop. I'm referring to the seemingly endless revelations involving Roman Catholic priests accused of sexual abuse. Since the scandal broke nationwide in 2002, the allegations, criminal charges and court settlements continue. They're sad chapters in a long-running tragedy; many of the allegations stem from decades earlier. The latest incident occurred Sunday in Pennsylvania, where a longtime priest, the Rev. William A. Rosensteel, 64, committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. Rosensteel's death came two days after his diocesan bishop said he'd refer allegations of sex abuse against Rosensteel, dating to the 1970s, to local police. Let me be clear: Of course these and similar allegations should be investigated, especially by law enforcement authorities. Church leaders aren't equipped - nor do they have the credibility because of past cover-ups - to probe such accusations. If charges and convictions are warranted, I have no pity for the priests. But it's disheartening to Catholics that these cases continue, five years after the reports of priestly sexual abuse broke in Boston and tore through communities across the country. Since 1985, the scandal has cost the Catholic Church more than $1 billion, including payments to victims, legal costs and counseling for victims and priests, said Bill Ryan, a spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. That's an astounding, horrifying figure. There have been painful, but positive steps in my Church since 2002. Shortly after the scandal broke, U.S. bishops passed guidelines on protecting children and young adults from potentially predatory priests. Parishioners and former altar servers came out of the shadows to admit the terrible secrets they'd kept to themselves. Hundreds of priests were forced from active ministry. Healing began, slowly. Despite that, the numbers of Catholic faithful have risen apace in this decade. In 2000, the Catholic population totaled about 60 million in the United States. Today, Ryan said, it's 69 million, or 23 percent of the U.S. population. The Church still struggles to attract priests in this country, and it often recruits from overseas, including nations in Africa. But the pews are full, and the laity has assumed more responsibility in parish life and leadership. Good works, too, continue to flourish outside of Mass. For example, the churches in the Diocese of Richmond, which includes Hampton Roads, boast an array of social service programs. They range from prison ministries to taking in the homeless during the winter months, from soup kitchens to outreach with the diocese of Hinche in Haiti. Several local parishes support an orphanage there. "It goes back to 1983, when Bishop Walter Sullivan got the idea of 'twinning' with a diocese in a Third World country," said retired Brother Cosmas Rubencamp, who's on the boards of several organizations with ties to Haiti. Sullivan "felt it was important for any group to have a global perspective, not just a local perspective," Rubencamp noted. Bishop Francis DiLorenzo now heads the diocese, which has more than 220,000 active Catholics. The works of faith, charity and hospitality bolster me. They provide a hopeful touchstone against a scandal that, so far, just won't end. Roger Chesley (757) 446-2329 or roger.chesley@pilotonline.com
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