Jan's Stinkin Blog: Penn State & The Vatican: many ways alike!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Penn State & The Vatican: many ways alike!

The conviction of Monsignor William Lynn of failing to take steps to prevent priestly sexual abuse in Philadelphia is big; it is very big.

This is a first time that a Catholic cleric, not an abuser himself but in a position to prevent abuse by suspected pedophilic priests, was convicted by a civil (not religious) court of criminal liability in not protecting children from priests he knew were sexual abusers.

This is big and very important because it opens the door for other cities in the country to pursue similar cases of criminal liability by clerics who watched and did nothing. The next case to be tried in September is against Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City who failed to report a priest found with child pornography.

As I have said many times before, the Catholic Church talks a good game when it says it is doing everything possible to protect children from abusive priests but it is a blatant lie proven by case after case of child abuse allowed by the Church because the Church took no action, even now, to prevent that abuse.

Maybe when many bishops are sitting in jail will the Vatican finally do something about the problem it pretends does not exist?

It is interesting that just yesterday; Jerry Sandusky of Penn State was convicted of child abuse and probably will spend the rest of his life behind bars in solitary confinement.

Sandusky had a high ranking position as a football coach, which afforded him the respect and admiration of many young men. His position was similar to that of a priest; a position that also carried with it admiration, respect and most of all trust, especially from children.

Penn State was similar to the Vatican or the greater church hierarchy which looked out for the institution before it looked to the welfare of individuals.

Sandusky, as one man, brought down and probably killed the biggest name in college coaching history (Joe Paterno) and will demolish a proud university that chose to ignore the abuse just like the Catholic Church did.

The Vatican, just like Penn State, will have to be taken down step by step for not doing what is right. The only difference is that the Vatican claims to do God’s work on earth where Penn State is just a secular university with a once proud football program…goes to show that institutions, no matter who and what they represent, are run by men who are fallible, greedy and self serving…devoid of humanity.