Editorial: Catholic Church Doesn't Need 'Allies' like These

Daily Times
September 2, 2012

http://www.delcotimes.com/articles/2012/09/02/opinion/doc50442aee2fec0318297237.txt

The hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church have had a lot on their plates in the last decade, dealing with accusations of clerical sexual abuse of minors and now, with criminal convictions of some priests.

Officials in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in particular have been through much with two Philadelphia grand jury reports on clerical sexual abuse resulting in the conviction of defrocked priest Edward Avery and Monsignor William Lynn — Avery for sexual abuse of a minor, Lynn for allowing Avery to have continued access to children after becoming aware of repeated abuse allegations against him.

Lynn has the dubious distinction of being the highest ranking Roman Catholic official in the United States convicted of child endangerment for essentially protecting a pedophile to avoid church scandal.

Archdiocesan officials will continue to deal with repercussions from sex abuse of children under their watch when, on Tuesday, the trial begins for the Rev. Charles Englehardt, a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, and former Catholic school lay teacher Bernard Shero, who are both accused of assaulting the same Philadelphia altar boy Avery pleaded guilty to assaulting.

Next March, Philadelphia archdiocesan priest, the Rev. James Brennan, is scheduled to be retried on charges he sexually abused a 14-year-old boy in his apartment when he was on leave in 1996. The jury was deadlocked over Brennan's charges when he was first tried with Lynn.

Eleven years ago one couldn't imagine a Catholic priest being convicted of anything, much less child abuse. Even 10 years ago, after the clerical sex abuse scandal broke open nationwide with the conviction of a Boston priest on child molestation charges, church officials denied the extent of the scandal. Many dismissed it as a media witch hunt.

Being faced with criminal charges has spawned a far different sensibility among Roman Catholic Church officials, although accountability has been slow in coming as noted in the second Philadelphia grand jury report released in February 2011.

Archdiocesan officials proved they took Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams' assessment seriously by putting 26 priests named in the second grand jury report on administrative leave so they could review complaints against them ranging from sexual abuse of minors to "boundary issues" in February 2011.

Just as it seemed victims of clerical sexual abuse were finally gleaning some modicum of justice from the church, the National Catholic Register this week set back progress a century by publishing an interview with the Rev. Benedict Groeschel of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.

When asked about abusive priests, Groeschel said, "Suppose you have a man having a nervous breakdown and a youngster comes after him. A lot of the cases, the youngster — 14, 16, 18 — is the seducer." Editor in Chief Jeanette De Melo, at least, apologized for not clarifying or challenging Groeschel's outlandish statement, before publishing it and Groeschel himself said he was sorry after officials in the Archdiocese of New York condemned his remarks as "simply wrong."

Groeschel's take on clerical child abuse is not unlike the assessment of date rape put forth by Judie Brown, president of the American Life League, in defending Republican Missouri Congressman Todd Akin's theory that a "legitimately" raped woman can't get pregnant. Brown discredited date rape as "dating experiences gone wrong."

She identifies her group as "the oldest national Catholic pro-life and advocacy organization in the United States" but just because she adds the word "Catholic" doesn't mean she speaks for all members of the faith.

The same goes for the National Catholic Register which is an independent publication and other groups such as the Catholic League that equates any criticism of the Catholic Church with anti-Semitism.

Roman Catholics are working hard enough to preserve their faith during these difficult times.

They don't need to be identified with misinformed zealots who manage to perpetuate the pain of sex abuse victims.