Ho, hum.....as I answered Jim Carroll's question THREE times: Of course, I believe that those who committed crimes should be prosecuted and punished. I do not defend anyone for covering up a crime, especially a crime against children. I believe that covering up a crime, is a crime in itself - is it not? So, yes, Jim, as I said three times before, I do agree with you and I do believe that both the molesters/abusers and those who covered up the crimes, should be prosecuted and punished.

But I also believe that Jim Carroll is painting the guilt with too broad a brush, because he places blame on the entire Catholic Church. Note however, that he restricts the blame to Catholics, most notably current Catholics. He absolves from guilt all those who have left the Catholic Church, even those who knew what was going on. The direct blame for these crimes, both the molestation/abuse and the coverups, rests on those who actually committed these crimes.

And, since Jim Carroll brings up what I said long ago, and since he and others have twisted it time and time again, let me say it again. There is a broader, community responsibility for any widespread injustice. I think that everyone who knows of a crime and does nothing about it, has some share in the responsibility for that crime. Jim and others have said that everyone in Ireland knew what was going on, but the Catholic Church was so oppressive that nobody could do anything about it. I replied that perhaps this is Ireland's "original sin," to accept such an oppressive environment and to say nothing.

It has often been said that racism is America's "original sin." Does that mean that everyone in America was, is, and ever will be a racist? Of course not - many Americans were victims of racism. But racism was a way of life in America for most of its history, and it still exists. Different people had different levels of blame - but as a whole, the American nation was bound up in a tangled web of racism, and there was no way out until certain members of the oppressed races showed the leadership and courage needed to defy the web of racism.

From what I've read and from what (in a limited manner) I've seen myself, the entire nation of Ireland was bound up an an oppressive web of control by the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church was a powerful and reliable ally in the struggle for freedom from the British, so it escaped the scrutiny it received in other nations - particularly in nations where there is no dominant religious denomination. The Catholic Church and the government of Ireland were in bed together, so both have a share in the responsibility for child abuse and molestation that took place in government-owned schools that were operated by religious orders of nuns and brothers.

Mind you, I'm not absolving anybody of guilt here. The primary responsibility for the crimes, lies on the molester/abusers, and on the church (and government) officials that covered up the molestation and abuse.

HOWEVER, there needs to be wider vision, an awareness of the failings of society as a whole in neglecting this problem and accepting it as "the way it is." When we point the finger of blame, we must do do with the realization that we ALL are to blame, that we all have shortcomings, that none of us is perfect. As we review what happened, we need to do so with the sober realization that there were children suffering for years and years, and NOBODY did anything to help them.

For the most part, the sexual and physical abuse problem is over. The vast majority of the crimes happened years ago. Certainly, it's probable that some crimes of abuse and molestation are still taking place, but society has changed and the Catholic Church no longer holds the position of unquestioned authority that it once held. If we dwell too much on the past and focus mostly on extracting reparations for the crimes of those who are now dead or senile, we miss the opportunity to learn what it will take to prevent such crimes from happening in the future.

So, in the end, I'm still asking for what I've asked for time and time again - a focus on preventing future crime, rather than dwelling on the crimes that too place thirty years ago.

I am very much afraid for the future of my Catholic Church. Vatican II opened a window of honesty and freedom and individual responsibility, but there are many forces that are trying to close that window. The most vocal lay voices in the Catholic Church, are crying for a return of the authoritarianism and legalism of the past. I can't live under that sort of authoritarianism, but I'm not ready to give away my church to those who want to bring back the old days of oppression and moral triumphalism.

-Joe Offer-