BishopAccountability.org
	Pedophile Priests: a Scandal Grows Pittsburgh Tribune-Review March 11, 2011 http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/s_726827.html Tuesday's suspension of 21 priests from active ministry shows the Archdiocese of Philadelphia hasn't fully come to terms with its latest sexual abuse scandal, for which there's no excuse. A Feb. 10 grand jury report accused the archdiocese of a decades-long cover-up of pedophile priests and of having up to 37 alleged pedophiles in active ministry. Cardinal Justin Rigali then claimed it had no active priests facing "admitted or established" pedophilia allegations. That claim doesn't square with the suspensions, making it an apparent cover-up attempt -- especially because following the suspensions, the archdiocese explained neither that discrepancy nor why those 21 priests hadn't been suspended sooner. Nor did it identify them, leaving "many parishioners ... to learn that their priest was accused" via his failure to show up for Ash Wednesday services, The New York Times reported. Such self-serving actions belie apologists' rhetoric. They blame victims, the media, anti-Catholic bias -- anyone and anything but those culpable for the scandal and the church's execrable handling thereof. That's inexcusable, too. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia remains a long way from fully and sincerely confessing this scandal -- much less doing proper penance for it.
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