Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern pauses at a news conference at which he released the report on the churchÂ’s handling of abuse cases. Ahern said he felt "revulsion" when he read the report's finding of a cover-up, which he called "scandal on an astonishing scale." (Peter Morrison / Associated Press / November 26, 2009)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-ireland-abuse27-2009nov27,0,1653487.story
One can rightly say that the number of clergy who abused children correspond to the same percentage in other professions. What is the serious problem is the majority of clergy and hierarchy covered up the abuse. We cannot forget that here is the real problem. For the sake of the hierarchy the cover-up took place. Yet too many of us are concerned about the finances of the dioceses when lawsuits are filed for access to all the files and that the SOL should not be extended. We fall trap to our political Catholicism and equate the quest for justice as an attack on Catholicism. Many of us were alarmed at the story in the New York Times which reported that a priest "in good standing" was guilty of serious abuse. We juridicized it and forgot that when it comes to the gospel abusing children is the ultimate crime. That person would be better if tied to a milestone and thrown into the ocean.
But let's continue to rave about 100 million dollar cathedrals, flowery encyclicals while the children and the downtrodden are thrown to the wolves and death. The status quo prevails and those are termed radical who demand justice. Stockpiles of wealth reign and the children are sacrificed to expediency.
