Re "Cardinal goal was protecting Mahony," column, July 17It is a mistake to think that Cardinal Roger M. Mahony is trying to protect himself. He is trying to protect his flock. If you are a Roman Catholic, you believe that the church is essential for salvation. Over the years, it has been clear to the Roman Catholic hierarchy that anything that undermines the confidence of the faithful in the church risks driving people away, thereby dooming them to hell. Therefore, the best thing to do about the misdeeds of priests is to cover them up. As the reasoning goes, the harm done to boys through molestation is far less than that through eternal damnation.
This runs entirely counter to the views of our modern secular society. Protestants don't have this problem because they do not believe that the church is essential for salvation. Roman Catholics are going to have to find a way out.
RORY JOHNSTON
Hollywood
There were some evil men in the Church who simply sought to cover up their own misdeeds and those of their friends. Their sins are on their heads.
There are others who mistakenly believed in the "therapeutic model" so beloved of the shrinks in the 70s . . . instead of the clear teachings of the Church, which has always instructed that these priests should be removed, isolated, and/or laicized immediately. They were foolish to believe the vain promises of the psychiatric profession over the tradition and teaching of their own faith. Some of them, of course didn't really believe in them -- again, a product of the 60s and 70s. Lack of faith -- trust in "science" -- but not evil intent.
But this convoluted theory . . . !?!?!