To some extent, someone accused of some crime IS treated as potentially guilty until a trial. One is presumed innocent until proved guilty. They cannot be jailed without a trial establishing guilt.
However, for an investigation to proceed, there is going to have to be some kind of presumption of guilt and inconvenience to the person, innocent or not. There is simply no way to investigate a case and look for evidence without some kind of presumption of guilt. What the law does is protect the accused in the meantime and prevents the accuser from acting on only a presumption.
When these incidents came to light, the priests should have been immediately removed from their position while a complete and thorough and RAPID investigation is made. People in other situations where they are being investigated for some kind of crime are sometimes put on administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing. Sometimes life isn't fair.
If his innocence is established, restore him to office. If not, throw his sorry butt in jail.
But to shift those men accused of impropriety around to cover for them and protect them while they continued to do it and not investigate it further, is unconscionable.
Sadly, the Roman Catholic church has a LONG and sordid history of sexual misconduct, easily going back a thousand years. That does cut into their credibility more than a little.
If they don't like the bad publicity, they need to remember that they brought it on themselves with the way this stuff was handled. If they don't want the criticism, man up and do the right thing.
Nobody will criticize them for acting appropriately when the situation comes up, as it is bound to now and then.
I agree they should have been removed from positions which allowed them contact with potential victims. That need not include incarceration.
People in other situations where they are being investigated for some kind of crime are sometimes put on administrative leave while the investigation is ongoing.
(and some remain in Congress...but that is another matter and not germane).
Sometimes life isn't fair.
True, that.
If his innocence is established, restore him to office.
There is the problem. In the current media circus, even the establishment of innocence is insufficient--merely the accusation is enough and no amount of exonneration, not even confessions of guilt by malicious and false accusers (page 32, under the fold, fine print) will remove the stigma. For a priest, it will follow him from parish to parish, even though he was cleared. As I stated, it is a career wrecker.
Imagine a day-care provider similarly accused. Would you leave your children with them after they had been cleared? Probably not.
Even the stigma of having been investigated would prevent you from placing your children in that day care, regardless of the outcome.
If not, throw his sorry butt in jail.
If proven guilty beyaond a reasonable doubt, the full force of the law should be brought to bear. I have never taken issue with that.
But to shift those men accused of impropriety around to cover for them and protect them while they continued to do it and not investigate it further, is unconscionable.
If, indeed, they were permitted to be in positions where they could continue to perpetrate any crime they were accused of, yes, it is unconscionable. No argument there.
If the incidents were not investigated fully, that too, is a grevious breach of trust.
I am not in support of allowing any alleged wrongdoing to continue, or allow perpetrators to go unpunished if proven.
Sadly, the Roman Catholic church has a LONG and sordid history of sexual misconduct, easily going back a thousand years. That does cut into their credibility more than a little.
Name another church which goes back a thousand years without its problems. Over a thousand years, especially considering that justice as we know it is only a couple hundred years old, a place gets a history.
Interesting in that over a thousand years of everything from preserving western civilization, art, history, etc., being a refuge for the persecuted, and countless good works, the only things the anti-Catholics can point out are these incidents.
Nobody will criticize them for acting appropriately when the situation comes up, as it is bound to now and then.
?