[Palladin]

Bump. I wish the bishops would pay attention to what the faithful are saying. Even the most devout Catholics want to see an end to predatory priests. Those who have never said a word against the hierarchy are now speaking out. I am impressed by the sincerity of those who want to see a real change in the attitude of the cardinals. Egan's "Mistakes were made" statements to his people are neither convincing nor truthful. He said this week that "IF" he made any mistakes in reassigning pedophile priests, he is sorry. I think I'll try that the next time I go to confession: "Bless me, father, IF I have made a mistake".

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

It's apparent that the needs and concerns of many Catholics have not been addressed by bishops, cardinals, Catholic politicians, or many Catholic educators and religious. When you have factions of the clergy committed to liberal dissent, bureaucratic coverup, or a pray/wait and see attitude, that leaves many of the lay faithful in precarious positions as the media unleashes propaganda assaults. I could add that the reticence of some bishops has also been apparent in problems regarding Ex Corde Ecclesiae, liturgical abuses, homeschooling issues, and homosexual activism by clergy. The strategy of avoiding controversy and trying to "keep things quiet" has clearly not worked too well on the current scandals. What is needed is a policy which gives due respect to lay people whenever they report any kind of abuse going on which impacts negatively on their religious life. When someone reports violations of canon law or serious outrages directed against faithful Catholics or Church doctrine, ignoring these reports or smearing the whistleblowers just cannot go on. If they try some minimalist approach - "Well, we're only going to get tough about following church doctrine and policy when it looks like we might lose money in a sex abuse case" (which seems to be the mentality of some) - they court more disaster.