Thursday, March 08, 2007
Really, Let's Picture How This Must Have Happened
California law violates gays' rights, ex-priest says - Los Angeles Times: "Baker confessed to Mahony his interest in children 20 years ago. He was sent for treatment, allegedly molested more children, and was defrocked by Mahony in 2000."
Regardless of this man's discomfort with the law that will hopefully put him away, this passage just angered me. So this young priest goes to an elder priest and admits a sexual interest in little kids. The elder priest says that there is religious therapy for such problems, sends him away, and after therapy welcomes him back into a position of power. My suspicion is that the therapy was not a big chunk of the twenty year period, thus leading me to believe that this Baker was molesting children for much of that time.
Now, was it that Mahoney had such faith in the therapy, or was it that he understood this problem? Does he himself suffer from the desire for youngsters? Or maybe Baker presents this in confession where Mahoney had no choice under religious law but to keep this a secret. Whatever the circumstances, we would like to at least think that Mahoney would have reassigned a man who has this affliction or watched his every move after the therapy. I just can't understand how you know something like this and put the person back in a position of authority, with parents and children alike believing that their interests are served by this religious leader, knowing full well the danger they actually pose.
These were extremely dangerous secrets the Church kept. As time has gone by, more of these secrets have been exposed, but I fear that the people that come forward represent a whole lot of victims that will not come forward, silent victims.
You know, it also worries me that this problem, scandal, travesty has not hurt the infrastructure of the Church more. It pains me that people, knowing what this Church allowed to go on would still put ten percent into the collection plate every week. I know the Church does some things that we all value greatly (shelters, kitchens for homeless, etc.), but I haven't seen one church close or have to really change the way they do things. I guess I just feel sorry for those that had the awful experience, because they can drive through any city and see a Catholic Church that has not had to change a thing as a result of a now visible corrupt organization from the very top to the very bottom. How must that feel?
Regardless of this man's discomfort with the law that will hopefully put him away, this passage just angered me. So this young priest goes to an elder priest and admits a sexual interest in little kids. The elder priest says that there is religious therapy for such problems, sends him away, and after therapy welcomes him back into a position of power. My suspicion is that the therapy was not a big chunk of the twenty year period, thus leading me to believe that this Baker was molesting children for much of that time.
Now, was it that Mahoney had such faith in the therapy, or was it that he understood this problem? Does he himself suffer from the desire for youngsters? Or maybe Baker presents this in confession where Mahoney had no choice under religious law but to keep this a secret. Whatever the circumstances, we would like to at least think that Mahoney would have reassigned a man who has this affliction or watched his every move after the therapy. I just can't understand how you know something like this and put the person back in a position of authority, with parents and children alike believing that their interests are served by this religious leader, knowing full well the danger they actually pose.
These were extremely dangerous secrets the Church kept. As time has gone by, more of these secrets have been exposed, but I fear that the people that come forward represent a whole lot of victims that will not come forward, silent victims.
You know, it also worries me that this problem, scandal, travesty has not hurt the infrastructure of the Church more. It pains me that people, knowing what this Church allowed to go on would still put ten percent into the collection plate every week. I know the Church does some things that we all value greatly (shelters, kitchens for homeless, etc.), but I haven't seen one church close or have to really change the way they do things. I guess I just feel sorry for those that had the awful experience, because they can drive through any city and see a Catholic Church that has not had to change a thing as a result of a now visible corrupt organization from the very top to the very bottom. How must that feel?
