PENN STATE AND THE VATICAN: Same crime, different outcomes...

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Boy, there sure has been a lot of press about Joe Paterno and Penn State. By now I think all of us heard all the details and read all the different opinions of what should and shouldn’t have been done but the saga is probably not over…

I did read a few comparisons of Penn State’s scandal with the Vatican’s sex scandal and it sure does look similar in many respects.

Both institutions viewed the “institution” as the sacred entity that needed to be protected at all costs even if that meant sacrificing the welfare and well being of countless young children who ended up damaged for life.

At Penn State a trusted and admired football coach lured young boys, using his position in the Penn State sport’s program for illicit sex while in the Catholic Church, trusted, admired and worshiped clergy lured young boys, using their positions of power, for illicit sex. Both were role models to young boys but the priest was supposedly the representative of God on earth, as believed by good Catholic children and that added dimension made their deeds, to me, more heinous, sinful and wrong.

Both Penn State and the Vatican covered up the crimes committed and even more unconscionable, allowed the criminals to go on abusing innocent children.

Penn State took immediate action and fired all people involved in the cover-up and even the people like Joe Paterno, who failed to act responsibly knowing what he knew but did not act illegally. Penn State’s Board of Directors took immediate action but there was no board of directors at the Vatican to take responsible action and punish the guilty which would include the pope who was aware of the crimes and the cover-up.

The Vatican, it appears, places itself above human justice and that is a problem that must be addressed if we are to protect innocent children under Catholic auspices. I feel the College of Cardinals must be made into a board of directors with real power, even the power to remove the pope from office.

I think we all noticed the lack of concern for the victims. The students at Penn State rioted at the news of Joe Paterno’s firing, mindless of the victim’s suffering that Paterno’s inaction caused.

Penn State realized the crass image they were presenting to the rest of the world and to their credit, made some immediate changes including a silent tribute to the victims at their next football game.

I hope others will see the similarity between Penn State and the Vatican but note the difference in outcomes and therefore the need of the Vatican to reform itself in a way that would never allow such crimes to be perpetrated ever again, as the least it can do to pay for the horrendous crimes it allowed against innocent children.

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• WATCH: SNL's Devil Even Offended By Penn State Scandal (huffingtonpost.com)
• Joe Paterno Out As Penn State Football Coach (huffingtonpost.com)
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• Attorney: Alleged victim 'torn' over Penn State scandal (today.msnbc.msn.com)