In the closing years of the last decade of the last century of the last millennium, when the news of these types of allegations started to break, I was starting to attend orientation at my first university in Hammond, Louisiana. I met a cab driver who was a Catholic (I was a Catholic hater at the time) and we began to speak about the sexual abuse claims. It distressed him a great deal over these allegations, and proofs. He was a big fellow, tough, but teared up thinking about what these foul priest had done to his beloved church.
These allegations are still breaking, and I suspect will continue to break for the rest of the previous generation. I have my suspicions on why it seems Rome attracts these types of people – nothing conspiratorial or heinous.
A Catholic priest has been suspended in Lexington while authorities investigate claims of sexual abuse.
A spokesman for the Lexington Diocese said the Rev. Joseph N. Muench (MINCH’) was barred from performing any ministerial duties after an internal investigation and that the diocese findings were forwarded to Commonwealth’s Attorney Larry Cleveland.
(snip)
The diocese said the allegations date to the mid-1980s when Muench was an associate pastor of Good Shepherd parish in Frankfort.
This is a deep and serious crime – and while I am not in favor of the death penalty, there are times I might make an exception – but what bothers me the most about all of this are the cover-ups. It is a tragedy when the young are raped of their innocense by anyone, and graver still those in authority, religious or otherwise; however, it is more heinous yet when you see that those in authority choose not to tell legal authorities. The moment you find out that these crimes are being committed you are guilty of at least two things:
- You are guilty of breaking the law of reporting these crimes
- You are guilty, from the moment you choose not inform the Law, of every act that the pedophile commits.
Harsh, I imagine, but not so harsh as what has happened to others in the absense of your ability to do what is required by the Law and God.
I am not Catholic, and have no say in their polity, but if they find out about these cover-ups, then those who covered it, or choose not to tell for what ever imagined reason, should resign.
