Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Talk about hysteria

From today's Boston Globe:
The Catholic Archdiocese of Boston reinstated a Waltham priest yesterday after an investigation found no evidence to support a single allegation that he had sexually abused a minor about 20 years ago. The Rev. Roger N. Jacques, former pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Waltham, was placed on administrative leave in October 2002 pending an archdiocesan review of the complaint. Jacques was among 58 Boston-area priests who signed a letter questioning the credibility of Cardinal Bernard F. Law and asking him to resign after a string of priests were accused of sexually abusing minors. (AP)
How would you like to be Rev. Jacques? One person accuses you and the church takes four years to find that the accusation was baseless? Makes you think of Salem.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It does make you think of Salem. And, this is not the only case.

Anonymous said...

Just like the witch hunt of Salem in the 1600's, Rev. Jacques and many others, have been falsely accused by those who sought out fortunes from a church so desparate to cover up their legitimate failures to protect the innocent victims. The church has unwittingly, or ignorantly, paid out thousands if not millions of dollars to unsubstantiated claimants. Wouldn't you expect that before paying out settlements to claimants, that the church would be absolutely certain that their claims were "real" and verifiably legitimate? So many priests have not even been given the opportunity to prove their innocence, yet they have been stripped of their faculties while they wait several years for the church to "figure out what they are doing". In America, you are innocent until proven guilty. In the Catholic Church, you are subject to the incompetent leadership of self serving clerics. The church has failed to uphold cannon law as well as civil law in its desparation to "cover their behinds". God is calling the Catholic Church to repent of its sins, and turn back to God, rather than its ongoing corruption.