Sorry, Jim. You appear to be unable to carry on an intelligent conversation, so I'm not going to bother to answer you.

Steve, my latest copy of National Catholic Reporter arrived today, once again telling the story of the difference between the actuality of the Catholic Church and the power structure of the Catholic Church. I couldn't help but think how much the Catholic Church is like the United States in this Year of Trump. The dictates of Trump are indeed outrageous, as are the dictates of many Catholic leaders on abortion and birth control. But Catholics still get abortions and use birth control at the same rate as other people. And yes, the way that many priests and bishops and church lawyers handled child abuse victims was appalling, but there were also many church leaders who handled victims with great compassion and generosity.

So, you have to look at the Catholic Church as an organic, diverse, and constantly changing whole, a mass of conflicting forces. When you pronounce solemn condemnations of the whole for real offenses, without recognizing all those within the body who are fighting against those offenses, you do a grave disservice to those who are fighting the good fight.

Same with us Americans - many of us were in shock when Trump was elected President by a minority vote. We just didn't see that comeing. But hey, don't hate us because Trump is our President. Hate Trump, like we do. But we'll come back. Just watch us.

Here's an article on Extending the Statute of Limitations, written by Tom Reese, a Jesuit priest who's a good guy. The temporary extensions enacted by a number of state legislatures opened a window to allow processing of claims without a lot of legal delays. It gave immediate and generous compensation to victims, and it sped up the process so dioceses could get on with things. There is still room for old claims to be filed, but the temporary extensions made it possible to handle the bulk of the claims quickly and with a minimum of hassle for all involved. And when the claims are settled, the anger dies down and we are all able to move forward again.

I do think that million-dollar settlements are too high. I think a hundred thousand would be fair in most cases. But I know damn well why the amount got up to a million and many dioceses had to pay a second time. There were a number of bishops who tried all sorts of delaying tactics, and they got caught. There was righteous anger because of the games those bishops were playing, and that anger drove the compensation rate up to a million. Those very bishops were the ones who made such a mess of the scandal in the first place - and because of them, all of us had to pay. And believe me, it won't be bishops paying those bills. Some of them downsized their cars and residences, but the bishops who made the mess are still living in the lap of luxury - or else they're dead or retired.

Read the Reese article. It gives some good insights.

-Joe-