BishopAccountability.org
	A Losing Tactic for a Religion Belleville News-Democrat February 22, 2011 http://www.bnd.com/2011/02/22/1601458/a-losing-tactic-for-a-religion.html The Belleville Catholic Diocese has spent years fighting the lawsuit filed by James Wisniewski, so it wasn't a surprise that it appealed the $5 million judgment in the case to the state Supreme Court. Still, it is sad and embarrassing to see the diocese use an argument so at odds with the core message of the Catholic Church. Wisniewski, 49, said he was sexually abused by the Rev. Raymond Kownacki for five years starting when he was a 13-year-old altar boy. Adults have a difficult time bringing lawsuits like this because of the statute of limitations. But a St. Clair County court allowed this case because the diocese covered up for years the fact that Kownacki had been accused of abusing other minors. Now the diocese is arguing to the high court that it had no legal responsibility to warn parishioners of previous sexual abuse allegations. Yes, you heard right. Following that logic, it was OK for the church to assign a suspected child molester to a parish and let kids fend for themselves. We don't know whether the Supreme Court will consider that a valid legal argument, but it's a failed moral one. One of the core messages of the Catholic Church is for people to love one another. By contrast, this appeal is a shocking attempt to win at any cost.
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