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	Persichilli: Resilient Church Will Overcome Latest Scandal By Angelo Persichilli Toronto Star April 4, 2010 http://www.thestar.com/news/world/vatican/abusescandal/article/789269--persichilli-resilient-church-will-overcome-latest-scandal CANADA -- I am a Catholic. Even though, I must confess, I'm not a good one. I don't go to church every Sunday as I should, and even though I'm against abortion, I respect those who are pro-choice. I'm also in favour of same-sex marriage and of opening the priesthood to women. I say this to put into context the concerns I have about the way some commentators are dealing with the serious and sensitive issue of pedophilia within the Catholic Church. Pedophilia is a crime, and those responsible for that crime – even if committed 40 years ago – must be punished, especially those, like some priests, who were supposed to be beacons of justice and hope for the very children they abused. But at the same time, I cannot approve of the politically motivated posturing over these crimes and the denigration of the entire institution of the Catholic Church. Pedophilia is not just a Catholic Church problem; child abuse is a problem that affects human society. It ranges from pedophilia to genital mutilation to the hedonistic impulse among some in our culture to be free of any moral commitment toward anybody, including children. Where are the front-page headlines denouncing the designer clothes and the other items in our stores that are manufactured by children in slave labour plants owned by our cherished multinationals in poor countries? We live in a society that tries to promote freedom for all, even if that means resorting to the Charter of Rights to camouflage the possession of child pornography as "cultural expression." Ten years ago, when he was police chief in London, Ont., Julian Fantino came under attack as the perceived driving force behind Project Guardian, which The Globe and Mail described as "an investigation that saw 61 men charged with child exploitation." I understand the concerns of gay community organizers who complained, as the Globe reported, that "the project singled out homosexuals in cases involving consensual sex with teenage prostitutes." But who stood up to defend the rights of children abused by adults? We have children on our streets who have fallen through the cracks during battles for individual freedom and the erosion of the concept, traditional or otherwise, of the family. We spinelessly and conveniently blame our society when in reality it's our selfish aspiration for individual rights that makes us overlook our collective duties to defend our children. I agree that the traditional concept of the family penalized women. Still, we must have the courage to say that this new order penalizes children. We don't have to go back to the old one, but we haven't yet found one where everybody wins. We are always outspoken in our criticism of the Catholic Church when we talk about discrimination against women who are denied the priesthood, but we systematically ignore the rights of women who are blatantly discriminated against by other religions that consider it a sin if women even dare to show their faces. We resort to harsh criticisms and blasphemous stories or cartoons against God, the Pope and the church, and we stay silent when people are killed because they stupidly offend symbols of other religions. Some people even try to have us believe that saying Merry Christmas is an offence against humanity. Pedophilia in the Catholic Church is a huge problem, just as were the killings ordered by the Inquisition and many other radical anathemas against those who committed such sins as saying that the Earth revolves around the sun. But, as in the past, I'm sure the Catholic Church will deal with this problem, this time by eradicating pedophiles from its ranks. Its leaders will do this because in its ranks there are also people of the quality of Mother Teresa, who are an inspiration for everyone around the world. They will do it because there are thousands of priests and nuns who serve and risk their lives as missionaries bringing hope to the downtrodden and food and education to children in thousands of missions on all five continents. They will do it because, over the past 2,000 years, the Catholic Church has experienced many serious problems but has always been able to overcome them and come out stronger. And today, I'll go to Mass.
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