The Catholic church in Pennsylvania has been accused of employing “mafia-like” tactics in a campaign to put pressure on individual Catholic lawmakers who support state legislation that would give victims of sexual abuse more time to sue their abusers.
The lobbying campaign against the legislation is being led by Philadelphia archbishop Charles Chaput, a staunch conservative who recently created a stir after inadvertently sending an email to a state representative Jamie Santora, in which he accused the lawmaker of “betraying” the church and said Santora would suffer “consequences” for his support of the legislation. The email was also sent to a senior staff member in Chaput’s office, who was apparently the only intended recipient.
The email has infuriated some Catholic lawmakers, who say they voted their conscience in support of the legislation on behalf of sexual abuse victims. One Republican legislator, Mike Vereb, accused the archbishop of using mafia-style tactics. (more...)
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| You calling me a neo-Catholic, punk? |
The bill is unjust and will not help survivors of abuse. Why should the statute of limitations be extended to a time when most of the perpetrators are dead and the truth of the situation can no longer be determined? Why should the statute be extended ONLY for private institutions (the Church), but not for public institutions (public schools, which have a far higher incidence rate of abuse)? The Church in PA is not trying to get away with something here -- they have tried to respond for almost 2 decades now the best they can. This bill is a mean-spirited attempt to literally close down the Church in the state of PA. If it passed, justice will not be served . . . and the faithful and the poor will not be served either, since the Church and all of her charitable efforts will be quashed.
ReplyDeleteAre the aggrieved not worthy of our charity? Are the courts not able to assess "reasonable doubt"? Is the Church merely a secular institution preocuppied with preserving itself and its possessions? Is the world ruled by the Prince of Darkness? Sure it is. We answer it with love.
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