Remember the subject of the thread is, zero tolerance. The Bernadin post was an example of why I don't like zero tolerance policies-- his liberalism, Masonic ties or being a queer had nothing to do with the subject matter. Let's face it, he was inappropriately charged by a guy who just didn't like priests or the Catholic Church. I always thought the masons wore funny hats and ran spaghetti dinners, when did they become satanic and anti Catholic?
About 5 yrs' ago, I picked up my local paper and much to my astonishment was the name of a high school classmate of mine on the top headline. He, a school teacher, had been charged with sexual abuse of a girl while working at a summer camp. Guess what happened? After having his reputation besmirched and no job for a year, it turns out the girl made it up. And of course, since she was a minor and a special ed. student, she was never charged with making false claims and perjury. So much for zero tolerance. At least he was able to get his job back.
Also, a priest I know gave tuition assistance to a single mom and her daughter at the parish school, after the tuition assistance stopped, the girl graduated 8th grade, mom wanted to send her daughter to a Catholic High School, guess what happened? Sex abuse allegations. It's so easy to do.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/745870/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/695054/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/682754/postsI agreed with you about the dangers of zero toletance. I also said what I was writing re Bernardin was only to give you a "heads up".
Have you read all of the many Papal Bulls and Encyclicals and other papal documents about the men with funny hats? The latest canon law about them used "secret societies" rather than calling them by name when saying that membership was forbidden to Catholics. When some priests in this country said there was no longer a proscription against joining them the Vatican responded to the direct question by saying it was still forbidden.
Can you tell me where to confirm that the accuser exonerated Cardinal Bernardin by more than "I can't really remember what happened"?