Catholic Bishop: Ignorance Leads to Blaming Priests for Sex Abuse; Church Has Dealt with Problem ‘responsibly’

Addicting Info
September 6, 2013

http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/09/06/catholic-bishop-ignorance-leads-to-blaming-priests-for-sex-abuse-church-has-dealt-with-problem-responsibly/


If there are two things I’ve never before put in the same sentence, it’s ‘Catholic sex abuse’ and ‘dealing with it responsibly.’ They just don’t make sense.

However, Bishop Thomas Paprocki feels differently. In an interview with the very conservative Washington Times, the Bishop talked about a number of topics, ranging from what he called “anti-Catholic bigotry” to David Letterman. But by far the most interesting tidbit in Paprocki’s interview came when discussing a joke made by Letterman a few months back. Letterman said:

“I am telling you if there is anything kids can’t get enough of it’s a 76-year old virgin. Come on, world youth day, or as the Vatican calls it, a salute to altar boys.”

Of course, Paprocki feels that this kind of mocking is unfair, given that the Catholic church has dealt so competently with the issue.

“You ask what else could it be other than anti-Catholic bigotry – well, it certainly is that. What else could it be? It certainly is ignorance. Profound ignorance for anyone to make comments like that. For one thing it shows the ignorance of someone who identifies the Catholic Church and, particularly the priesthood, with sexual abuse. Certainly, we have had our unfortunate share of scandals and sin and the church is dealing with that. I would venture to say that of any institution in the country – perhaps in the world – I don’t think anyone is dealing with it as responsibly as the Catholic Church has. So public figures like that continue to point their finger at the Catholic Church and say you have a problem with sexual abuse and people are ignoring where most sexual abuse is taking place. It’s occurring in families. It’s occurring in schools.” (emphasis added)

Evidently, Bishop Paprocki thinks that because sexual abuse can happen in places outside of the church, then obviously it’s not their fault. They are, of course, ‘dealing with it responsibly’ and should be beyond reproach.

Sorry, just because you are a religion doesn’t mean you get a pass on being called on your crimes. And just because you are a priest doesn’t mean that you get a pass on being called on your bullshit.