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COMMENTARY and More
Where is the Outrage?
by Casey Serra
Several years ago, when the scandalous cover-up in Boston
was unraveling and Cardinal Law’s world was collapsing around
his ears, Catholics, and for that matter, good people everywhere,
said “Never again!” A group of parishioners in Boston met in
the basement of a church and started an organization called “Voice
of the Faithful” (VOTF). Their outrage was manifested in several
demonstrations in the Boston area directed at the criminal
behavior of Cardinal Law and other clerics who participated
in the shameful cover-up. The entire nation was informed of
the progress of the efforts of VOTF by the wire services. It
was news! The results of their efforts are well known. Cardinal
Law resigned in disgrace and fled to Rome where a Pope and
a Vatican totally out of touch with the people in the pews,
awarded Cardinal Law a prestigious position there. The outrage
was strong.
The “old boy” network got busy. The bishops (who still don’t
get it) insisted that the worst was over. The bishops set up
a system of audits, which would “prevent” this type of cover-up
from ever happening again. The audit system lasted all of one
year. The bishops then decreed that since everything was going
so well, each diocese would audit themselves! Incredibly, they
set the fox to guarding the henhouse! Where was the outrage?
Now we have unbelievable events transpiring in Philadelphia,
Los Angeles, Hartford, Chicago and Ireland. In Philadelphia,
scores of priests would have been indicted as pedophiles were
it not for statutes of limitations. In Los Angeles, over 100
priests have been identified as pedophiles. The Cardinal has
stonewalled and refuses to turn over records to investigators.
There is a $22 million payout in Hartford to be divided among
43 survivors. So far, 14 priests have been identified as sexual
abusers. The shameful record of abuse and cover-up goes back
into the 1970’s. Worse yet, one of the identified pedophiles,
Father Louis Paturzo, was reported to be no longer a priest,
but he was listed on the Norwich Diocese web site as a prison
chaplain in Brooklyn, CT, as of November 1, 2005. His residence
was listed as Immaculate Conception Rectory in Hartford. This
information was taken off the web site on November 2. The shameful
events in Chicago are being exposed on a daily basis. In Ireland,
it is estimated that the cover-up of clerical sexual abuse
of children is decades old and was abetted by officials of
the Irish government. Why have we not seen more news of these
horrifying events in the local press? Has the “old boy” network
effectively silenced the Fourth Estate? Where is the outrage?
In our own diocese of Norwich, the bishop has set up a very
good program for protection of children known as “Call To Protect.” It
is administered by the Office of Safe Environments in Norwich.
This office is woefully under-staffed and, as it appears, apathetic.
A survey of VOTF of Eastern Connecticut members revealed that
only one parish in ten was complying with the bishop’s directives
regarding the implementation of this excellent program. No
effort has been made to follow up and insist on compliance
by pastors. What has become of the vow of obedience? Has it
become selective? Has the directive been issued with a “wink,
wink” by Norwich? Where is the outrage?
With the current policy of self-audits, the bishop can now
check the box that says that there is a program in place to
protect children. He is correct. It is in place. Unfortunately,
it has NOT been even remotely implemented. Why? Is it the fault
of understaffing in the Office of Safe Environments to the
extent that follow-up is not possible? Is it the fault of pastors
who ignore the directives of the bishop? Is it intentional?
Where is the outrage?
The “old boy “ network has successfully silenced the press
and has told the people in the pews that the problem has been
solved and there is nothing to worry about. Contrary to what
the bishops would have us believe, however, the problem has
not been solved. We cannot “put it behind us” and start anew.
As Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Hartford, Chicago and Ireland
have proved, the problem is still with us. The cover-up is
real and continues. WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE?
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