Bonnie, whether you think my message is an attack against you or not, read it as if it were not an attack against you. I have no reason to deny any of the crimes that took place, and knowledge of those crimes is essential to any understanding and any effort to prevent such crimes from happening again.

But dwelling on the anger is self-destructive. Despite the fact that outrage is a natural response to such a crime, the outrage will destroy us if we do not set it aside at some point and deal with the aftermath of the problem dispassionately and constructively.

The crimes of Fr. Tony Walsh took place in the 1970s and 1980s. He was removed from the priesthood in 1990 and twice convicted and imprisoned for his crimes. The time for anger against Walsh is past. Now is the time to move on. How can his victims find healing - by continued retribution against Walsh and his ilk? How much healing does anger and vengeance provide?

The underlying premise of your question is unfair and untrue, and I have no answer for it. These horrible crimes can never be forgotten or ignored, and I would never suggest that they should be.

-Joe Offer-