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	Catholic Church Needs to Retaliate against False Abuse Allegations Editorial Iowa State Daily October 10, 2006 http://www.iowastatedaily.com/media/storage/paper818/news/2006/10/16/Opinion/Editorial.Catholic.Church.Needs.To.Retaliate .Against.False.Abuse.Allegations-2351058.shtml?norewrite200610160838&sourcedomain=www.iowastatedaily.com The Catholic Church, in recent history, has fallen victim to much scrutiny because of the mistakes of a very small percentage of clergy who have been accused of sexual abuse. Last week, the Diocese of Davenport was forced to file for bankruptcy in order to save its assets from lawsuits and claims of sexual abuse. The scandal that has rocked the church is truly detrimental to its members, clergy and lay alike. That is not to say the church doesn't deserve some criticism, but what happens when the accused clergy aren't guilty? Take for instance former Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, who was accused of sexual abuse by a man who later dropped all charges.Bernardin was publicly humiliated by his accuser, and some have still used these accusations against him and the church. It is apparent that so long as one is accused, he is automatically guilty in the eyes of the people, no matter how a court rules. This is just as true with the church as it is with any other accused. So why doesn't the Catholic Church take action in instances like these that involve false accusation? The Rev. Dennis Miller of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church said there are several explanations. One reason, he said, is because sometimes the accused are dead. Miller also said it is possibly because of the clergy's compassionate nature. Many times the priest will forgive his false accuser. The church has a knack for forgiving the most unlikely of people, such as when Pope John Paul II forgave his attacker after an assassination attempt. Whichever way you look at it, the church has every right to fight back to save its already tarnished image from these false attacks. Although many of the accused priests are indeed guilty, it is unfortunate and unfair that those who falsely accuse the clergy in order to get attention for themselves are able to get away with it. But so long as the church continues to make no real effort to counteract this, the door will remain open.
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