“If they turned these guys over the authorities when the complaints came in...”
...then at least half of the priests they turned over would have been innocent. Where’s the justice in that?
“no one would be angry.”
Sure, they would. The primary goal of this exercise was not to achieve justice, but to harm the Church.
“its not the money.”
No, it’s the harm to the Church.
“Its the fact that they hold YOU to a higher standard than they hold themselves.”
Do what?
So, just because YOU think these guys are innocent, that its OK for them to molest boys? Come on. You cannot be that naive.
Its a chicken and egg thing. You are mad because people came forward AFTER these cases were exposed to try to get money. Am I right?
If that is your position, you are missing my point. My point is that the Church covered up, for lack of a better term, these cases beyond the point where they could have been held for criminal trial. The ONLY recourse that was available was civil litigation—which lead to the fraud you address.
Should innocent men be hurt by false accusations? Of course not.
I believe that the Church should come out and say the following:
1. We will report any improper allegations to the local civil authorities and we will assist 100% in any investigation for ongoing criminal offenses.
2. It is reasonable to believe that any improper actions that have taken place in the past have been reported and litigated. Therefore, we will defend to the extent of our ability and allegations that are past the statute of limitations. We will not settle. We will expel anyone we find to have participated in or knowingly covered up knowledge of a crime. When there is evidence of a fraudulent claim, we will risk bankruptcy to fight the claim. We will not settle.
3. We are committed to protecting our parishioners and our priests alike. Our church is taking steps to make sure these types of crimes never happen again. But, we are also committed to moving forward and rebuilding our place in the community.
I believe they are either unwilling or unable to do this. And I am not sure why.
That is my final comment on the subject. I wish you a very Happy and Healthy New Year. God Bless us all. Methinks we are going to need it going forward.