Main Line
March 15, 2011
http://mainlinemedianews.com/articles/2011/03/15/main_line_suburban_life/opinion/doc4d8032a0b9176632192669.txt
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| Charged with endangering children |
It's time to say 'Enough!'
As the lights dimmed in Tokyo on Sunday, they highlighted the calamities that have fallen on Japan, the risk of nuclear meltdowns, the horrendous devastation, the 10,000 or more who have died from which the country will have to recover.
The news is driving other stories onto the back pages, which may prove lucky for some people.
Qaddafi can now bomb civilians until the cows come home unfettered by civilized nations. The U.S. hasn't even sent food and supplies to Libyans although we started a bigger humanitarian effort for Japan within 24 hours.
The NFL owners and unions can continue their hissyfit over $9 billion without their fans flinging up their hands in disgust.
Republican governors can end collective bargaining in the name of frugality.
I can handle those items getting less coverage, because they are part of human nature: Qaddafi is evil; the NFL and players greedy. Walker is well... enamored of power.
What I can't handle, with respect to my friends who are Roman Catholic, is the possibility of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and any other diocese being able to duck the spotlight on their malevolent treatment of innocents.
Cardinal Cover-Ups Rigali's protection indeed hiding of priests who have allegedly attacked and raped children is hard to fathom. It is more than lousy management; that would slide over the moral depravity and imply a passive ineptitude. It is active, not passive, a deliberate, repetitive cover-up and protection of very bad people and a callous dismissal of the agony wrought on trusting children, not to mention their parents. CEOs and national leaders have been tossed for far less (who caused more pain, Rigali or Clinton?).
Some people are bad, I know. Stalin, Pol Pot, serial killers, pedophiles. But priests? These aren't foxes in the chicken coop; they are rabid predators in the children's rooms.
The Pope puts Rigali and other authority figures in charge of kids, 6-15-year-olds. And they tell parents to bring those little ones to the church for safekeeping and education. And such is the discipline of the Roman Church; the parents follow orders. And so these children, who have done nothing more than trust their parents, are raped and otherwise abused, damaged for life. Not all of them, to be sure. Not even a large majority. But enough.
And when these priests, monsignors, bishops and cardinals are caught, they operate as though they are above U.S. law. They give the bad guys in good guy's clothing a pass... as in passing them along to another parish full of unsuspecting parents and children.
No one knows how long this has been going on; centuries in all likelihood. The usual remedy, if it can be done within the statute of limitations, is civil court, where the judgments are paid by the church, not the pedophiles.
Until recently. Until Philadelphia DA Seth Williams said "Enough!" and charged five priests from the archdiocese with one or more counts of rape, sexual assault, failing to protect children from sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of children. Until the Philadelphia Inquirer said "Enough!" and told the world about the grand-jury indictments of 2005 and 2011.
And so, finally, some of these predators face criminal prosecution. Maybe even Cardinal Cover-ups will face prosecution and jail time. They might even go to jail instead of some retirement community ("might" because the Roman Catholic Church is very, very powerful).
That is why I hope the Philadelphia Inquirer and others of the media keep the spotlight on these guys. Until there is a gigantic, emotional cry of "Enough!"
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