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	Commentary by Tom Watkins: Church Child Abuse Scandal - Never Again Hometown Life May 6, 2010 http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20100506/OPINION/5060344 Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron recently said "the archdiocese is stepping up its initiative to protect children." Certainly, with the child sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church sweeping the world, this is welcome news. While the stepped-up effort to protect children is welcome, given the historical abuse, this is a bit like closing the barn door after the cows have escaped. These actions are part of the Vatican effort to deal with the ever-widening child sex abuse scandal. There are unforgivable sins. Sexually abusing a child is one. I attended Catholic grade school and graduated from a Catholic high school. I was taught that honesty and integrity matter. I was taught that lying, cheating and covering up problems are wrong. I was taught that you should always tell the truth and if you make a mistake to admit it, accept your punishment, do your penance and try to be a better person. The Church has historically maintained a code of silence and covered up for a sin that comes as close to "unforgivable" as anything I know — harming children. No, let's call it for what it is: child rape. Could the Roman Catholic Church, built on the revelation of truth and faith, fall apart due to lies and deceit? There are some in the church that want to make this issue as a problem of "faith" when it is one of transparency, truth, accountability and right and wrong. There are also those who argue that anyone who raises these issues is "anti-Catholic." I am not. Priests who sexually abuse children are not "confused souls" — they are criminals. People who shield and cover up for criminals are charged with obstruction of justice. Clearly, not every allegation against priests has stood up to scrutiny, and it can be assumed a few of the accusers and their attorneys are fabricating stories of abuse in an attempt to heap scorn on the church and extract money. Yet, the seemingly pervasive, systematic, deceitful actions in the eyes of many have stripped the church of their historic moral authority. Let's be clear: The charges are lodged against some, not all, priests and bishops. There are many good men and women, both ordained and lay people, in the church. Yet, the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church continues to roll on in numerous countries. What the now pope knew (both as archbishop in Munich and later as a cardinal heading up the Vatican morals office), when he knew and what actions, if any, he took to stop the abuse is casting an ugly shadow over him and the Catholic Church. Many feel and victims have called for the pope to take responsibility for the systemic abuse of children that many feel may have touched the highest reaches of the church. They believe the secrecy and culture of hiding the problem allowed priests to molest children at will for decades. The Vatican strongly disputes this assessment. The priest's pedophile behavior, having sex with children, is not an isolated incident; it's wrong morally, spiritually and legally. Yet, if there is such a thing as a "worse sin" or a greater crime, it is reserved for those higher up in the church hierarchy who concealed and covered up this evil! It is said that the issue of child molesting was hidden to protect the church! Some, trying to spare the church further embarrassment or worse, are describing this scandal as a "reprehensible indiscretion of a few to cast a shadow on the church as a whole." Nonsense. Be clear, this is a problem the church has brought on itself by looking the other way. It could and should have been stopped yet was allowed to fester, not by people outside the church but from within. There is no amount of money or punishment that can restore the harm these priests and the Catholic Church have done to countless children and families. I only wish there were. How can the institution of the church stand for anything when they did not stand up for the rights of children? There are lessons in this sordid story for all organizations. The truth has a way of eventually coming out and the cover-up often becomes worse than the original problem. (Richard Nixon and Kwame Kilpatrick come to mind.) It is good to see local church leaders taking action, even if it is after the damage has been done. As a church and society, we must declare, "Never again!" Contact: tdwatkins@aol.com
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