The Problem That Won't Go Away

I regret that I missed yesterday's posting on the Catechism. I lost the entire text as I was transferring it to the blog site, and I'm still not sure why. So, I will try to recall that text from memory and post it next Thursday. I am off today, but I did want to post a very disturbing news story regarding our ongoing difficulty with child abuse and the malfeasance of some Catholic bishops. The State of Pennsylvania has investigated the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown and released its report. This may not be a news story you would want to read right now. For a relatively small diocese, the sheer numbers of cases are astounding. What is worse, in my view, is the patterns of management over the years by several bishops, which involved conspiracy with civil officials and a very cold-hearted program of compensation for victims. The practices continued until 2009, seven years after the U.S. Bishops' Dallas Charter and the events portrayed in the movie, "Spot Light."