BishopAccountability.org
	No Hiding "Pied Pipers" of Pedophilia Anymore Connecticut Post October 6, 2009 http://www.connpost.com/ci_13501028 Confession, according to an old adage, is supposed to be good for the soul. Often, it's cathartic. But for the Diocese of Bridgeport, allowing outsiders an insider view of the pedophilic practices of some of its former priests promises to be painful. That's because the U.S. Supreme Court Monday turned down the diocese's plea to keep secret 12,000 sealed judicial documents that go back to the 1990s and relate to 23 lawsuits the diocese settled involving six priests. The action by the nation's highest court means that for the first time the public will know what the diocese knew about the extracurricular activities of its religious foot soldiers, how it gained its insight, the way it responded when sexual-abuse victims reported what was done to them, and what measures it took, or considered, to protect children from future harm. What's contained in that pile of courthouse records is going to attract attention. Bishop William Lori is quick to point out, and rightfully so, that the events these documents pertain to happened long before he became bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport. "My concern is not about the content of the documents, much of which has already been written about extensively, but it's more of a question of legal principles at stake," he said. "This ruling compromises the right of churches to govern themselves." Baloney. It's about opening wounds. It's about what's inside those documents, not just for revealing what appears to be uncharged criminal conduct, but for shining a light on what the diocese's posture was when some of its youngest, most vulnerable flock turned to it for help. In government, the buzz word is transparency. Politicians yap about it all the time. Every time I hear 'transparency,' I think Scotch tape or Saran wrap. Nevertheless, in this context, transparency by the Catholic church -- all houses of worship -- would be a welcome thing. Redemption is supposed to start with fessing up to one's mistakes and being sincere about making changes. The diocese could show parishioners that it means business by giving up the fight to block disclosure of the sex-abuse documents, becoming more vigilant about rooting out priests who are known sex offenders instead of moving them to other parishes. Barbara Blaine, president of Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, thinks the message the Supreme Court is sending is to "employers and churches who shield child sexual abusers that they won't be able to get away with protecting, sheltering and moving around pedophiles any more. Children will be safer because of what the Supreme Court is doing," Blaine said. "Churches and other employers will not be able to cover up for these people any more. The public has a right to see what's in those files." The Supreme Court's action Monday doesn't mean that the Diocese of Bridgeport's separate, but related, appeal of Rosado v. Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocesan Corp. is dead. In that matter, the diocese wants the Supreme Court to determine the scope of its First Amendment rights when it produces confidential documents during discovery to plaintiffs' counsel in compliance with pre-trial protective orders that seal that material from the public. The Connecticut Supreme Court had ruled that by divulging confidential internal personnel evaluations the diocese had waived its right to argue it had a First Amendment privilege to block the public from accessing those records. The diocese wants the nation's highest court to rule that the church had a privilege under the "internal affairs doctrine" to prevent the public from seeing its confidential documents. Alternatively, if the state Supreme Court finds that the diocese waived such a privilege by cooperating during discovery, it wants the high court to adopt a "selective waiver" standard that lets a litigant assert a privilege against releasing that information to the public. Such a decision would do a disservice to those who have suffered abuse by someone their religion assures them they can trust. MariAn Gail Brown, a Connecticut Post columnist, can be reached at 203-330-6288 or at mgbrown@ctpost.com
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.