To demonstrate how equal justice for the Catholic Church remains elusive, we decided to choose one day, May 22, and point out how utterly absurd things have become in the wake of the sex abuse scandal. Here’s what we said to the press:
“It is reported today that a Cincinnati priest, the Archdiocese and the archbishop are being sued by four boys on charges that a priest molested them in the 1970s. We know the name of the accused priest but not the name of his alleged victims (their right to privacy is being observed).
“It is reported today that a man is suing a retired priest in Iowa about an alleged abusive incident in 1967. We know the name of the accused priest but not the name of his alleged victim.
“It is reported today that a San Francisco priest will appear in court next week on charges that he molested a teenager 30 years ago. We know the name of the accused priest but not the name of his alleged victim.
“It is reported today that a man is suing a San Diego priest for molesting him in the 1970s. We know the name of the accused priest but not his alleged victim.
“It is reported today that a man is suing the Archdiocese of Boston about an alleged abusive incident that occurred decades ago. We know the name of the accused priest but not his alleged victim. We also know that the priest died in 1975.
“Why are so many alleged victims coming forth now—decades after the alleged incident? Why does the public know the names of accused priests, living as well as deceased, but not the names of their accusers? How much of this is motivated by justice? By greed? By vengeance?
“Maybe it’s time the Church started acquiring some ‘Dream Team’ type lawyers. Maybe then equal justice would be served.”
