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	Church Raids: Deplorable Richmond Times-Dispatch June 30, 2010 http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2010/jun/30/ED-CATH30-ar-259893/ Last week Belgian police raided the home of a former Roman Catholic archbishop. The raid was part of the investigation of the church's sexual abuse scandal. Over the weekend, Pope Benedict denounced the raid "deplorable." A Vatican official claimed the raid was unprecedented, even under communism. Oh? The Belgian authorities sought and received a subpoena, something jackboots everywhere are not known for doing. The Belgians may have taken an extraordinary step, but to imply they were worse than the Reds is to suggest a lack of ethical discretion -- and perhaps to illustrate the reasons the Church failed to act responsibly when the scandals broke. Hubris remains at work. Statements that reflect a lack of appropriate sensitivity further sap the Church's moral authority. The faithful in the pews deserve better. A police raid could have been averted if, not only in Belgium but in all realms suffering from marauding clerics, bishops and other responsible leaders had picked up the phone and called the police to say they had crimes to report. The abuse scandal proved a time to render unto Caesar. The Roman Catholic Church is a force for great good, which makes its deplorable actions regarding the abuse outrage so difficult to bear.
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