A group of elites in the fields of law, psychology and social work has petitioned the Archdiocese of Boston for permission to oversee cases of alleged clergy sexual abuse. They have been denied. That is because the archdiocese already has two groups of Catholics who are discharged with this duty. Nonetheless, the elites object to this archdiocesan prerogative. Moreover, the critics are unhappy with the rule that members must be in “full communion” with the Church.
Catholic League president William Donohue addressed this issue today:
“This is only the latest example of elites who are exploiting the homosexual scandal in the Catholic Church to service their own agendas (95 percent of the cases of priestly sexual abuse in Boston are male-on-male sex—see the Boston Globe, February 7, 2003). On the one hand, the elites commend Archbishop Sean O’Malley for his good work; on the other hand, they insist he must anoint them if he is to succeed.
“It is striking that the very people who gave the bishops lousy advice in the first place—namely shrinks who thought they could ‘cure’ homosexual molesters—are leading the charge to stick their nose into the internal affairs of the Catholic Church. If they are truly interested in protecting young people from molesters, they should immediately investigate public school employees and abortion providers: 15 percent of public school kids are molested, and Planned Parenthood staffers can provide leads on statutory rape that are indispensable.
“The elites bared their hand when they objected to the rule that Catholics must be in ‘full communion’ with the Church as a condition of serving on the review boards. While their idea of what constitutes a good Catholic has been corrupted by simply living in Massachusetts, it is no excuse for trampling on the First Amendment. Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly, who is leading this crusade, obviously has no respect for separation of church and state. But two can play the same game: I am writing him today asking his permission for the Catholic League to police the internal affairs of his office. We offer our services pro bono.”
