We hear, constantly, about how the big, bad Church covered up the sexual abuse of minors. And to be fair, yes, there were bishops and priests within the Church who were not abusers themselves, but who aided and abetted abusers by covering up their actions and shuffling them off to other roles, other parishes.
Pope Benedict XVI, ever since he was — as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (or Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, if you prefer) — appointed to the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), has been working tirelessly to reform the Church’s approach to and handling of abuse cases, and has done wonders in this regard. The Church has surged ahead and become nothing less than a world leader in dealing with abusers within its ranks.
In contrast, American teachers continue in their own efforts to cover the asses of abusers in their midst:
The New York State School Boards Association and the State Association of Counties are opposing a measure that would temporarily lift the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse cases, allowing victims to seek legal redress up to 40 years after they turned 18. The bill, which originally focused on the Church, has been expanded to include other public institutions.
My question is: how many of the members of the New York State School Boards Association (or the State Association of Counties, for that matter), were perfectly in favour of this bill when it only applied to Catholic priests? Now, when it comes to rooting out the sexual predators in their own ranks (and there are far more abusive teachers than abusive priests), they are circling the wagons.
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Posted by: Saint Angilbert
Posted in: American News - American Politics - Catholicism - Crime and Punishment - Education - Sex | Tags: CDF, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Joseph Ratzinger, New York, New York State School Boards Association, Pope Benedict XVI, sexual abuse, State Association of Counties, statute of limitations, the Church