Catholic Church: Where Was Law Enforcement?

Catholic Church: Where Was Law Enforcement?

Apr 52010

The Catholic Church is back in the headlines these days, and not because it's Easter Week. Around the world - in Ireland, in Germany (where the current pope may have been complicit in a cover-up while Archbishop of Munich) despicable and rampant child abuse by parish priests have become an explosive issue. Many are calling for Pope Benedict XVI to resign; the Vatican is lamely blaming the Media for fanning the flames of outrage. Here in America, a priest in Wisconsin was revealed to have abused over 200 deaf boys.

America is a beacon around the world for its constitutional truth of separation of church and state. There is no question that often these lines become very blurred and we run the risk of losing this most treasured American rule of law. No where is that more on display then the massive pedophile scandal in the Catholic Church.

Overlooked in the charges and counter charges flying about the failure of the hierarchy of the Catholic church to come to terms with its pedophile priests is the abdication of American law enforcement officials to enforce the law. Clearly, with major pedophile rings operating within the Catholic Church, law enforcement chose to look the other way in fear of offending the church. If these pedophiles had been rounded up, charged with sexual offenses and sent to jail we might not be dealing with this continuing scandal today. In addition, if anyone covered up crimes committed, obstructed justice and aided and abetted criminals to escape then they should be charged too.

Why didn't this happen? Where were the District Attorneys eager to make headlines? Where were the precinct cops sworn to protect our children?

Without question over the last decades there has been one set of laws for non-priest pedophiles and another set of laws for Catholic priest pedophiles. Very few of them were arrested, charged and sent to the slammer. Hardly any of them had to register as sex offenders. None of their names appeared on maps showing the location of their homes. Seems if a priest was caught molesting children in one neighborhood, the solution was just to move him to a new neighborhood without a word to vulnerable Catholics in the new locations! Can you imagine the storm of protest if law enforcement officials had just simply moved a non-priest pedophile to a different area without charges and warning to their new neighbors? District Attorneys would have been defeated at the polls, cops would see their promotions disappear and anyone involved in the cover up would have paid professionally and in the press.

However with the Catholic Church this was standard practice. Those involved in the cover-up such as Boston's Cardinal Bernard Law were moved to elaborate new jobs and digs at the Vatican for their violation of trust with their parishioners.

Most importantly, our law enforcement officials for fear of offending an established religious institution, took a walk and violated the trust of the American people. They should be held accountable too.