Catholic League president William Donohue commented on the sexual abuse policy passed today by the U.S. bishops:
“Virtually every Catholic in the nation has been greatly upset this year by all the scandalous news about the Catholic Church. In some parts of the country, emotions turned to anger as outrageous stories about molesting priests and enabling bishops were being reported daily.
“What the bishops did today, however, will go a long way towards restoring the trust of the rank and file. The final document that was approved is a principled statement that is a model of fairness to all parties. We commend the bishops, especially those who worked on the revisions, for producing a document that is canonically sound and organizationally effective. Their goal has been justice for all and that is what they delivered today.
“The central message of the new policy is this: There will be no more tolerance for intolerable behavior. The kids come first. At the same time, however, the bishops made it clear that this will not be done at the expense of tossing overboard the rights of the accused. This is just the kind of symmetry fair-minded Catholics have wanted and now they have it.
“Not everyone, however, is fair-minded. Those who have agendas—for example, those who reject the Church’s teachings on sexuality—are already complaining. That’s because all they want is power. The media give them a stage but most Catholics are repelled by them.
“As a lay Catholic organization, the Catholic League treasures the role of the laity in the Catholic Church. But unlike those with agendas, we do not seek to govern the Church. Indeed, such hubris is the mark of a small band of half-educated but fully politicized whiners. Nothing will ever satisfy them—nothing save turning the Catholic Church inside out.”
