So Much For It Being A “Historical” Problem
Posted by PsiCop in Christianity, General, Metaphysics, Religion
A couple months ago I blogged about the claim made by the country’s Catholic bishops that the clerical child abuse scandal which has plagued the Church worldwide for some time now is a “historical” problem (i.e. it’s “history,” a mere relic of the past) and is now no longer an issue. The report, written by a cadre of academics — but commissioned and paid for by the bishops — said (WebCite cached article):
The “crisis” of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests is a historical problem.
Of course, I didn’t believe the bishops academics when they said this, and — unfortunately — I’ve been proven right, by the arrest of a priest in Berlin, Connecticut. The New Britain Herald reports on this story (cached):
The same police officers who stood by [the Rev. Michael Miller's] side while tending to the injured took him into custody Tuesday to charge the popular St. Paul Catholic Church priest with five counts of risk of injury to a minor and one count of attempted obscenity. …
In the wake of allegations of inappropriate contact with a minor, Miller was suspended from public ministry July 4, according to a news release issued Tuesday by the Franciscan Friars.
The archdiocese of Hartford is supposedly cooperating with police in this case, which has been investigated for about a month. And they’re offering to “help out,” as revealed in another article in the Herald (cached):
“Anyone who has experienced inappropriate contact and/or conduct by Fr. Michael Miller should contact the Berlin Police Department. They are also encouraged to contact Sister Mary Kelly at the Archdiocese of Hartford at 860-541-6491. She is the coordinator of the Victim Assistance Program and can offer some assistance.”
By making this offer, the archdiocese hopes to intercept any reports before they get to the police. Nice. Really nice.
Photo credit: From Friars Minor Conventual Web site.
Tags: archdiocese of hartford, berlin CT, catholic church, catholic clerical abuse scandal, catholic clerical child abuse scandal, clerical abuse, clerical abuse scandal, clerical child abuse, clerical child abuse scandal, fr michael miller, franciscan order, franciscans, franciscans conventual, michael miller, priestly pedophile, priestly pedophilia, priestly pedophilia scandal, rev michael miller, roman catholic, roman catholic church, scandal, st paul catholic church
Entries (RSS)
It is not just a Catholic problem. Catholics get the rep- but look at protestant preachers. There's just as much corruption- it's just not all under one banner. I've been a reporter for ten years- and I've seen way more domestic shadiness with protestant preachers involving the kiddies than with Catholic priests. Just throwing it out there.
I've never said it was "only" a Catholic problem. It seems to be more common in the Catholic religion — mainly, I think, due to the Church's insularity, protection of clergy, and the attendant lack of accountability that clergy feel — but is not solely a Catholic failing. It turns out I've blogged about it happening in other religions, e.g. in the case of Bishop Eddie Long in Atlanta (with the title of that post being, "Not Just A Catholic Problem"), and in the Orthodox Church in Canada, where the lede of my post was:
It's easy to read just one post I've written and decide that I've focused only on this scandal within the Catholic Church, but the truth is, I haven't. This blog is over 3 years old and has nearly 850 posts. It would be nice if I could mention each and every scandal I've ever covered in each and every post I write on the subject, but to do that every time would soon become unwieldy. I just can't do it.
[...] in all religions and I’m not supposed to report on the Catholic Church’s abuses … I’ve already answered that tired whine, and quite frankly, I’m tired of hearing it. It shouldn’t matter — and it [...]
[...] and is no longer happening. Apparently this isn’t true, though; a month ago I blogged about a priest here in Connecticut who was arrested for abusing children; and now, WFSB-TV reports on yet [...]