Former Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas L Dupre is the highest Catholic prelate in the nation to be indicted on child rape assault charges, but he will escape prosecution because the alleged charges are too old.

Only hours after the indictments were unsealed, Hampden County District Attorney William M. Bennett said he could not pursue the case because the statute of limitations had expired.

"Memories dim, witnesses disappear, evidence is lost, motives change," Dupre's lawyer, Michael O. Jennings, said. "The more time that passes, the more unfair it is to make someone face allegations."

Although we have learned it may take a great deal of time for the victim of a pedophile priest to come forward, we also have learned that their memories do not dim.

The Dupre case underscores the need to eliminate the statute of limitations for such cases.

In the meantime, federal laws, such as the Racketeer-Influenced And Corruption Organization Act, give prosecutors broad latitude by allowing them to reach back decades to charge those in a pattern of illegal activity and cover-up.

Bennett's office found no evidence to support RICO here. We'd like to hear from federal prosecutors.

There are allegations that church leaders in the Springfield Diocese knew of the abuse, failed to report it to legal authorities and allowed it to continue. That would meet the criteria of the RICO statutes.

RICO was created to fight organized crime, but it is broad enough to cover any organization that believes it is above the law. Dupre, although it appears he will escape prosecution here in Hampden County, would appear to be a prime candidate as a test case under the RICO statutes.

Dupre is one of a group of priests who have held positions of authority in the diocese and who have been accused of sexually abusing minors. Monsignor Richard S. Sniezyk said earlier this year that abusive priests were protected by a good-old-boy network in the Springfield Diocese, and that some priests believed it was OK to have sex with boys.

Federal officials said they would evaluate the case after the Hampden County district attorney's office was done with the case.

We hope they won't think it is unfair to make someone face these allegations after so much time has passed.