Smokey, if you could look at the criminal records of the people around you, you will find that one in twenty has committed some sort of crime that you would consider horrible. So, do you go through life not trusting the people around you, since one in twenty is a criminal? Yes, it is certainly a reason to be watchful - but certainly not a valid reason for abandoning human trust.

Jim Carroll asks: You did not answer my earlier question; (if I have missed it, please point your answer out) if this had taken place within the education system, what would your reaction be?

Well, gee, Jim, I don't know how it is around you, but I DO know that abuse and molestation takes place all the time in the U.S. educational system. In the past year in my area, there have been several cases of child molestation reported in public schools, and not one in Catholic institutions. Does this mean that Catholic church here is squeaky-clean? Certainly not - but I do think the Catholic Church in the U.S. has done a lot to clean up its mess and make it difficult for child molesters to continue committing their crimes in the Church.

I think maybe your main fallacy is that you see the Catholic Church as monolithic, with a uniform and rigid discipline. If such were the case, then any incident of child abuse or molestation would indeed be a sure sign of failure of the entire church. But the Church isn't monolithic, and its discipline is far from rigid. The Catholic Church encompasses a far broader spectrum of thought and discipline than almost any institution I can think of. Think of it: Mary Garvey and I are both Catholics in good standing - but we rarely agree on anything, especially on religious issues (although I like and respect her, and I hope she has the same attitude about me).

I think I could argue that crime is an unfortunate side effect of freedom. I do oppose crime, especially crimes against children; but I also think there needs to be some moderation in our efforts to control crime, so that we do not destroy our own freedom in the process. And believe me, I couldn't be a Catholic if I didn't think I had the freedom to think and act as I see fit. Many people see religious creeds merely as authority systems. I'm sorry to disappoint them, but "authority" and "obedience" are not in my religious vocabulary. The Catholic tradition is an extremely important part of the essence of my life - but I see no obligation to obey ANY religious authority other than my own conscience.

-Joe-