Footnote to above:
There is to be a meeting tomorrow in The Vatican between Pope Benedict, Cardinal Seán Brady and Archbishop Diarmuid Martin - subject "How the Catholic Church should deal with the damage caused by the child abuse scandal. I wonder if anybody finds this offensive as I do?
Leopards... spots!
"I have to say that I have a hard time believing in the helplessness of the poor lay people....."
Believe it Joe:
There is a remarkable description by a policeman who reported a case of abuse which had been reported to him by a distraught mother, to a bishop.
The bishop attempted to pass it off with a 'queer' joke and only agreed to even discuss it (with a policeman, remember) when the he threatened to take that matter further and make it official. The bishop finally agreed "to look into the matter!!!"
If that was how the subject was treated when reported to the police - what chance did the man or woman in the street stand?
A further thought - If, as has been suggested here and pretty generally elsewhere, those abused are quite likely to become abusers, the church did not only abuse past generations, but future ones as well.
The abuse has not been stopped, just brought to public attention.
Jim Carroll