Tuesday, May 27, 2003

The local anti-Catholic newspaper has a front page story on child abuse by rabbis. The article is the first of a three-part series. Now the temptation here is for Catholics to say "see everyone has this problem". But the reality is that the problem among priests and the enabling bishops was more severe and far reaching. Still, some things in the article were sadly familiar. Allegations that were not reported to the police, fear about reporting on a revered religious leader, etc..

One line that stuck out: "Unlike the Catholic Church, Jewish authority is not centralized, but various groups within the branches of Judaism have begun to strengthen anti-abuse policies for their members."
I think that the centralized authority of the Church is what causes some anti-Catholic sentiment, and in part helped to fuel the press coverage of the abuse horrors. Even those who don't care or know about Catholic teachings despise authority, especially that which is world-wide.

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