....All of this likely sounds too familiar to those who closely followed the church's cover up of abuse allegations. There were many priests and bishops who, like Paterno and Spanier, decided that handling things internally was more appropriate than calling the police. Most of them still hold positions of authority in the church, like former Boston archbishop Cardinal Bernard Law, who just last week had a plush celebration for his 80th birthday in Rome. The result, nearly a decade after the abuse scandal in the church first became national news, has been ongoing pain for the victims and a disillusionment with the church and its leadership among many in the pews--if they're even still coming to Mass.
Apparently, Penn State's Board of Trustees was taking notes. Even though the 84-year-old Paterno announced yesterday that he'd retire at the end of this season, they still wanted to make a statement with his firing. He didn't get to go out on his own terms. He didn't get a big sendoff in his last game. And he certainly didn't get a cushy Vatican gig where can spend the rest of his days living comfortably.
Sorry, Alex. We’re not going to fire the Pope.
It’s got nothing whatever to do with the Catholic Church, except that they are the only ones that the media have been persistently attacking—although there are far worse problems in the public schools and in Protestant ministries, among others.
And I think I’d wait a bit to see whether firing Joe Paterno and the President are something the Church should take as an example. Because there are suspicions that the whole business was far more widespread than yet admitted. And Paterno immediately reported what happened to the Athletic director, and it went immediately to the law—where it died because the DA appears to have committed suicide by diving into a river. His computer hard drive was recovered from the river, an apparent effort to erase its contents.
I’m not saying that Paterno shouldn’t have done more when his report went nowhere. But there are others who are far more guilty than he is. It looks like scapegoating to me. And we may never know who the worst offenders are.
This writer is holding up Penn State as an example of how to do things right?? Most of the country is not so inclined towards Penn State.
Archpriest of St. Mary Major is not a "position of authority in the church," unless we're talking about who has authority to decide what brand of incense to stock in the sacristy.
Law has no curial positions at all, due to his age, effective a couple of years ago.
Kill the DA and wipe his computer?
Even if you go to the Penn State rivals message board today, you'll see that there's a large contingent of PSU fans there who are throwing away their PSU gear, pledging not to contribute to the university, etc. Why? Is it because they're disgusted by the pedophile scandal? No ... they're disgusted with the BOT for firing a man who did little or nothing about the scandal, may have actively covered it up, and who should have gracefully retired 15 years ago!
“the inevitable comparison to the Catholic Church’s own abuse scandal.”
I’ll take “How Can I Have it so Backwards” for $200 Alex.
The Answer: Who can’t ever pass up a chance to smear the Catholic Church.
The Catholic Church’s pederast scandal peaked, I believe, in 1969. Sandusky’s pederast romps occurred in the late 1990’s.
So you were only off by 30 years and have it completely bassackwards Alex.
Lurking’