Catholic Church Not Getting It

By Harry Eagar
Maui News
February 4, 2013

http://www.mauinews.com/page/blogs.detail/display/4154/Catholic-church-not-getting-it.html

I had been going to post a simple, obvious point -- not restating it, since I haven't seen it stated elsewhere -- but waiting a day or two allowed the Catholic Church to reinforce my point in a way even I -- ever pessimistic about the religion I was raised in -- could not have foretold.

The obvious point is the Gomez, the cardinal who relieved the previous cardinal, Mahony, last week, has no objections to what Mahone did to protect child rapists in the Los Angeles archdiocese. If he had, he'd have suspended Mahony two years ago, when Gomez found out about Mahony's rape mill.

Gomez did not act until Mahony was outed by the legal process. Therefore, we can be sure that if press and lawyers had not forced his hand, he would not have acted ever.

To date, so far as I have seen evidence, no member of the Roman Catholic Church management actually disapproves of child rape. If they did, they would act otherwise.

This morning, the Los Angeles Times -- minor heroes in this -- has a story about the congregration at Mahony's church after Gomez's pastoral letter was read. Msgr. Gallagher, the pastor (and, if you are not a Catholic, you may not realize what a high mucketymuck a monseignor is), is quoted as telling his sheep:

"I'm sure some of you are still mightily angry, some confused, some would like to see something done differently," Gallagher said. "The important thing for us to remember, I think, is that there have been victims . . . young people whose lives were ruined.... They need a sense that they are being invited back into God's grace."

Words fail me at this point. They are being invited back into the organization that raped them and that is still protecting the rapists?

Well, RtO could have said that Catholic priests are clueless criminals, but far better to have one of them say it for me.