Why are we hearing about the charges now?  Because in the recent past, the Church regarded the sexual abuse of children as an “American problem”.  The response of the American and now the European bishops shows there was a culture of silence.  The only thing important to the Church was the protection of its “good name”, even if it meant intimidating victims and witnesses.  Hardly a Christian attitude, don’t you think?  Don’t shoot the messenger here.  To paraphrase Pogo, “We have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Robert, your logic is flawed and you’ve no evidence to support your opinion, other than bias.  Anti Catholic bigotry comes in all form, as evidenced by your comment.

“I can’t help but wonder if the motive for the press’ current coverage hasn’t been to 1) silence the Church, 2) undermine the authority of the Pope, and 3) distract people from the U.S. Bishops’ opposition to the healthcare bill.”

Well…1) The church has been too “silent” with respect to this issue all along. The press’ motive is just the oposite.  And 2) If the shoe fits… And 3) Really? It doesn’t make a hill of beans of difference in Europe what U. S. laws the U. S. Bishops’ oppose and the news stories in the U.S. press haven’t garnished those “big” headlines needed to distract anyone.

I have to admit you have it wrong on this one partly.The Irish situation came about after an Independent Enquiry which only recently published the information.Not back when the US scandal was rife.The German cases came to light in January when the head of a Catholic School in Berlin asked those who had been abused to come forward.Since then it has affected other Dioceses in Germany and now Nederlands;Austria & Switzerland have their own cases.However that said and it is dispicable that this is happening,the Media in Germany are deliberatly caliming this is a purely Catholic problem dispite alarming evidence to the contrary.We get them interviewing “We Are Church”  and disadnet Theologions like Hans Kung and others.Yesterday the Front Page of the “Allgäuer Zeitung” had the lead headline “10,000 German Children Sexually abused every year”.This was not to do with the Catholic Church but within families!Now wouldn’t one expect it to be the lead story everywhere in Germany?Not at all.It didn’t even warrent being on the papers news website,let alone all the other media wanting to print or tell the truth.Radio,Television & the rest of the media ignored it whilst continueing to try and link the Pope with the scandal.The Catholic Bishops worldwide should all come clean now and lets get this scandal over once and for all,then lets have some apologies from those who actually did the acts as well as those who covered it all up for what ever reason.Then maybe a week of prayer and fasting by the whole Church in reparation for all the pain and suffering,we the “Body of Christ” have caused to our neglected brothers and sisters who were told to suffer in silence.We must return to a real belief in God,many have lost their faith due to this scandal.Let’s pray for their return to faith.May God heal us all and may all return to Him who have strayed from His path.

I’m not buying it.  Call me names, but it is more of a scam to commit fraud against the Church, to demoralize and ruin the priesthood.

One of my former CCD student, in his first year away at college (University of California system) was “invited by a distribution of a flyer” to a meeting to learn how to get FREE MONEY, by fraudgently stating you were ‘abused by a priest as a child” (no need to be Catholic by the way).  He went and was told by this group to do his research and pick an elderly priest that recently died and was ‘near’ where he grew up.

This young man was quite upset and told his mother (who told me) and went both to our parish priest and to someone at the Diocese.

Amazingly, a series of suits came quickly to an end without much media coverage.

Tim, you are right—the Catholic Church in particular is pushing anti-abortion and the secular society does not like it and they have to put the Catholic Church ‘down’ in some way. Most people do not check the internet for anything going on in the world, or what they get on their computers.  I did (and do)  and they would be surprised how rampant abuse is in the Public Schools.  Does the Times or any other newspaper (other than local ones) report this?  NO!

I don’t get the connection between public schools and priestly sexual abuse. Are you saying that because it happens there it’s ok here? What kind of logic is that?

Leslie, the comparison, if you will, between the public school abuses and those committed by a relatively small number of priests isn’t to justify this action in either-pedophilia or abuse in any case is never in the right.
As least from my view is that almost all the media’s (and lawyers’) attention is against priests, who proportionally did less, as it were.  Those under public pay, responsible for more, don’t get press.  The reason for that is the debate here-and obviously, liberal media is never going to like an O’Connor or a Chaput very effectively voicing opposition to liberal “life” issues, ad moreover, simply showing the goodness of life (cf. Tim Tebow ad, etc.).  The media attacks because its enemy is working and winning—you don’t attack a nonissue.

The attempted inplication of the Pope was a clear ad hominen—you can’t get him justly, so you try and float a story that turns out false and also put the name of the Church in limbo. 
Think of the George Bush thing a couple years ago with Dan Rather and CBS; Dan put his little story based on a questionable lead, and two weeks later, Dan gets to retire early because of his story’s untruth.  The Pius XII thing is exactly the same way—they put up a false story and shout it really loud, even though you know it’s a lie.  As Christ said, “if they did it to me, they will do it to you.”  Yes, there will unfortunately be Judases, Benedict Arnolds, if youw will—but America isn’t condemned becuase of the one who left, is she?

The Bishops and the Church leadership would support the Health Care Bill if abortion were removed.  They find themselves being attacked by those who, in every other political stand, are allies.  This shows that the Church Leadership are viewed as dupes by their ‘friends’ and not very good at picking political allies.  They should get out of that business and back into focusing on the spiritual health of the Church.

The Church is under attack and it does cover up.  The two are not mutually exclusive.  Within the priesthood are many who want to “loose the sin of homosexuality”.  They are lost.

I agree with you, I agree, I agree, Tim.

These stories about the abuse in Wisconsin and even in Munich are OLD, OLD, and what the “journalists” don’t say about the Wisconsin story is that the civil authorities, aka. the police, didn’t pursue the charges.

I see this the NYT attack as payback for the American Catholic Church’s resistance on healtcare. Even Stupak, who caved, was seen as a Catholic obstacle.

If he hadn’t had his cadre of “pro-life Dems.” then we would have had Obamacare a few months earlier.

Don’t quit with this point of view. It is valid.

Oh Tim, you are entitled to your opinion. Opinion without facts, you know without evidence, is entertaining at best. I will just comment on one of the many specious points you try to make. “Rate of sexual abuse in the public school system”. There are millions more children in public schools then Catholic schools, so if your assertion is true there must be many thousands of sexual abuse in public schools that are not worthy of press coverage. Surprisingly, their parents have been unusually quite, one would have to think according to your opinion. Public schools do not have men who have received a special call, vocation, from God to work with youth of our country. When the men who have received the power to forgive sins and bring the body and blood of Jesus Christ to us, commit sexual abuse crimes on children, it should get more attention, at the very least from Catholics, then public school teacher’s crime. The public attention the criminal priests and those who covered up for them is coming from the New York Times. Oh, where is William F Buckley when you need him (Tim’s of this world). This prominent Catholic layman was the great defender of Joseph R McCarthy. Both of these men attacked the New York Times. It seems the New York Times is always the enemy. Buckley was wrong about the disgraced McCarthy and Times provided a great service to this (non-hierarchical) country. Your mention of the Irish situation and the press coverage is astounding. Knowledge of the long-term sex abuse in that (formerly?) Catholic country should cause an adult to weep, not wonder about the reporting of the incidents. Shame on you Tim Drake.

No, George, Tim is spot on.

Are you telling us that those who are groped, raped, and seduced in public schools are somehow less abused.

Here’s a great example of the bias that happened YESTERDAY:

The AP chose to report “priestly sexual” abuse in Chile- foreign country, and neglect publishing that 6 cases of teacher sexual abuse, one with a cover up, occured just last week in the U.S.

ASSOCIATED PRESS GETS A TIP

April 6, 2010

AP is reporting that in the course of a TV interview on Sunday, the archbishop of Santiago, Chile said he was investigating “a few” cases of priestly sexual abuse. We decided to give AP a tip by bringing similar stories to its attention, all of which were reported in the last week in the U.S. (since March 31), but none of which it chose to cover:

• A Milford, Connecticut teacher’s aide pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting a high school student

• A Brookville High School teacher in Pennsylvania was charged with aggravated indecent assault; indecent exposure; corruption of minors; possession of obscene material; sexual abuse of children; and unlawful conduct with minors

• A middle school gym teacher in Athens, New York was arrested on charges of sex abuse and forcible touching
• A Morrisville-Eaton Central School District teacher outside Utica, New York was arrested for forcibly touching a girl over a three year period, beginning at the age of 11, and for endangering her welfare
• A former Teacher of the Year in Bullitt County, Kentucky was indicted by a grand jury on sexual abuse charges
• A teacher at Olin High School in Iowa was charged with sexually exploiting a freshman. This same teacher faced similar charges two years ago when he taught in another school, and was simply moved from one school district to another

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments as follows:

Every day there are religious and secular leaders, all over the world, who learn of accusations of sexual misconduct, but none are given global coverage by AP unless it involves someone like the archbishop of Santiago. That AP thinks his admission is newsworthy, but does not deem it worthy to cover the above half-dozen examples, is revealing. Now it may be a lot sexier to get the Catholic Church, but serious journalism ought to be guided by more professional standards of inquiry.

http://www.catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1822

Tim has no reason to be ashamed for pointing to the EPIDEMIC of sexual abuse in the public school- or do you want to silence the Church on that issue too?

Could be more evidence to support Tim’s 3rd reason.

Great blog, Tim.

I suspect that the commentors to my comments have misunderstood. All victims of the crime of sexual abuse suffer.
It’s possible that victims of abuse from spiritual leaders have deeper despair then others. You know, if the person to whom you confess your sins, the person who changes bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus, sexually abuses you it might cause a deeper suffering then if a gym teacher groped you.

Now I looked over the six cases of sexual abuse, mentioned by one comentor to my comments. We know of the six cases because they were reported in the press. Since the AP did not cover these events, it seems to some that this constitutes a form of anti-Catholicism and a bias of reporting Catholic priests’ crimes over public school teachers’ crimes.

Let’s examine just one of the six cases mentioned. “A middle school gym teacher in Athens, New York was arrested on charges of sex abuse and forcible touching”. Just suppose the case included some or all of the following elements:

•  The teacher also provided moral guidance and taught the love of God to the 13-year-old girl.

•  The teacher and the principal offered the parents of the 13-year-old girl money on the condition that the incident is never reported to anyone.

•  The teacher had been at other schools in the school district and was accused of similar acts, but district head did not report any criminal accusations to the public authorities and transferred him to his current school.

•  The teacher had taken the 13-year-old girl to his family’s summerhouse for several days’ vacation.

•  The teacher had the 13-year-old girl and other girls over to his house for a sleep over.

•  The teacher induced specific sexual acts.

Well I could go on and on but I am sure you get the point. The incident got local news coverage. AP coverage might be forthcoming had the incident been one in a series at that school district, or simply a single act that contained some or all of the above elements.

Now as to the other commentor’s raising the question, “3) distract people from the U.S. Bishops’ opposition to the healthcare bill.” Let us thank God that it no longer is it the healthcare bill but the law. I am ashamed of the bishops’ position with regard to the health of Americans. Abortion is at the root of many positions taken by the hierarchy. Having said that, I will not enter into an examination of the morality of abortion. The Hierarchy has settled this problem. At least for themselves. I happen to agree with Mario Cuomo.

Again, weep for Ireland. It has suffered the betrayal of those they trusted most.

I agree that all victims of abuse suffer.

To imply that they suffer more because of a particular role of clergy/mother/brother, etc. is highly subjective and would vary to the individual person.

I resent the fact that you seem to imply that someone who suffered at the hands of a priest would be somehow more molested than someone who had been molested by her father or teacher.

It ain’t for you to decide.

I weep for Ireland, but I also wept for the Early Church as it suffered with Judas and Peter.

If they could get past the fact that Jesus himself had chose these two: one a devil, and one a repentant sinner, then Ireland can too.

Pointing to the victims of secular criminals is a waste of time.  The focus is on the offender, not the victim.  The press will always treat the Church differently because the Church is different.  No secular institution claims anything similar to the magisterium of the Church.  Pope John Paul II wrote, “. . . when the faithful in the Church turn to their Bishops and Pastors, the Church’s reply contains the voice of Jesus Christ, the voice of the truth about good and evil.”  Veritatis Splendor, 1993 When one of those bishops or pastors does evil he will draw much more attention than any secular offender.  We expect certain people to be above reproach.  When they fail us, we despise them.  The bigger they are, the harder they fall.  In terms of moral authority, you cannot get any bigger than a priest or bishop.

The entire tactic of pointing to the abuse in public schools is a big mistake.  We hear from the pulpit that all faiths are just as good as another, “just make mine Catholic”, as if we were choosing brands of beer.  There is a difference I am willing to accept the different standard.  And failing is a big deal, however forgivable it may be.  To think otherwise makes the effort to be different a mere exercise.  WE should be as happy as we are ashamed that the standard is so high for the clergy.  From whom much is given, much is expected.

Richard C. Goad,

Are you saying that you invite unjust targeting of Catholic institutions, priests, and laity?  Should we go back to the days of “no Irish need apply” for jobs because they were Catholic.

Are you inviting an unequal treatment in the arena of justice?

Do you think that someone abused in the public school setting is somehow less abused?

I’m not going to lay down and take this mess.  I think that was how the “greatest” generation helped to usher in legal abortion in this country.

To continue that thought-

My dad’s generation WWII were asleep at the wheel and a great majority of them forgot the duty they had as Catholics to stand up and fight for justice in our culture.

That’s why we have legal abortion, families falling apart, two generations that don’t know their faith, and a culture attacking anything Christian.

No, Richard, you can’t silence me and thousands like me.

We are tired of having Catholicism the last acceptable prejudice in America, AND especially when our fellow Catholics are the enablers of it.

JPII Generation, let’s not forget the New Evangelization and fight the good fight!

liseux,  rest assured I meant none of those things.  To help clarify, I am saying that defending an institution as special as the Church and a calling as special as Holy Orders by comparing it’s scandal to that of lesser institutions and positions demeans it rather than defends it.  The effect, while well intended, is the same as the attackers want, that is to reduce it to no more than the other worldly institutions.  So, a well intended act can have results indistinguishable from another act with more foul motives.  Such as calumny and simple illiteracy.