"But whosoever shall offend one of these little ones who believe in me, it were profitable for him that a great millstone had been hanged upon his neck and he be sunk in the depths of the sea." - Jesus Christ (Matthew 18:6)
Today was a big day for victims of sexual abuse. Monsignor William Lynn and Jerry Sandusky were found guilty in a court of law. The disgraced Lynn was found guilty of endangering children due to his negligent handling of priests during his time in the chancery of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Coach Jerry Sandusky of the famed Penn State University was found guilty of sexually abusing young boys, most who are grown now. Lynn will possibly face 7 years in prison and Sandusky 442 years.
Abuse of any kind should never be tolerated. However, when the abuse is done on a child, the disgust and hurt is much more. Children are a blessing of the Lord. (Psalm 127:3) To think that anyone would harm a child in the way that child sexual predators do is truly sickening. Any harm done whether sexual or not is sickening. A child is an innocent creature and deserves nothing but the best that life has to offer.
I am glad both of these individuals were found guilty. The verdict does not erase the past, but makes an example of the accused - Child abuse will not be tolerated nor the aiding and abetting of it.
I love my Church dearly, but the transferring of priests with sexual problems from parish to parish was truly a mistake and quite frankly stupid. Moreover, not reporting these sick individuals to the authorities is also a mistake and foolish. The Church is not a law enforcement institution. We are in the life of saving souls. Sometimes saving souls requires "tough love." Bishops and/or anyone in ecclesial authority who transferred priests with sexual problems and/or did not report their crimes to the authorities should be behind bars.
Moreover, officials at Penn State who did nothing regarding Sandusky should also be behind bars. Once the first report against Sandusky was made, he should have been turned over to the cops. The act of University and Church officials to put institutional prestige before victims is truly distasteful. Both institutions exist to serve others, not to destroy lives in order to protect the institution's image.
I pray for all those brave victims out there who have come forward with their stories. I pray that any victim still in hiding will come forward and report what has happened to him/her.
The Catholic Church has gotten much heat for the sex abuse scandals, however, the Church so far is the only institution that has gone the extra mile to protect children and adults from sexual misconduct. I hope other institutions follow.
Justice will prevail always!
Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/22/philadelphia-priest-trial_n_1619355.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/22/philadelphia-priest-trial_n_1619355.html?utm_hp_ref=crime
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/22/jerry-sandusky-guilty-verdict_n_1616479.html?utm_hp_ref=crime#comments
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