Calling For Cardinal Law to resign

Dan Levin COM ’04 352-2931 dlevin@bu.edu It is time for Bernard Law, to resign his post as Cardinal. I am asking as a citizen of the United States, not a member of the Catholic Church. His behavior over the last 20 years has been almost criminal in nature, and quite possibly the most immoral I have been witness to. To allow pedophilia to run rampant throughout the Church without so much as a care for the victims is abhorrent. I consider pedophilia to rank up with murder and rape as crimes that should never be forgiven. Yet the Archdiocese of Boston and the rest of Massachusetts have allowed these 87 priests to continue their horrid ways. According to a report in the Boston Globe, at least 87 priests have been accused of sexual assault, and over 70 cases were settled out of court by the Church. Only four priests were brought to trial and convicted of sexual assault since 1984. Only now, in the wake of a scandal that could shake the foundation of the Church, does Law deem it necessary to have a “zero tolerance law” for pedophiles. Just now, Cardinal Law? So pedophilia was acceptable before? As long as the Church could pay off the victims and keep things quiet, you bet it was acceptable. The only punishment these sex offenders received when accused was a few months of “sick leave”, or counseling. This behavior is totally irresponsible, negligent, and destructive to communities. Allowing sex offenders to keep working in a position where they can continue to molest young children is horribly inept. I now worry about the Church as a whole. If there have been 70 cases in Eastern Massachusetts alone, how many more have we not heard about? How many sex offenders disguised as priests are preying on the young in Illinois, in Texas, in California? How many hundreds or even thousands of cases have been settled so not to give the Church a black eye? These cases are not isolated, that’s for certain. And the fact that such a large number of priests have committed these crimes over such a large time frame (40 years according to Law) begs the question as to whether or not the Church can ever be trusted again. I have never heard of a Rabbi being accused of molesting a child, and the same goes for Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus. If there are cases out there against individuals in these organizations, I would love to know. But as for now, I’ve only seen and heard about Catholic priests taking advantage of children. What is a parent to do? Can they honestly trust that their son or daughter is in safe hands ever again? If you’re Catholic, how well do you know your priest? You may not think he’s capable of such a deplorable act, but the parents of the child molested by John Geoghan thought the same thing. Cardinal Law, your practice of sweeping sex crimes under the carpet has been reckless and thoughtless. The fact that you only now disclose information to the DA during this investigation only proves how much you had been hiding over the last 20 years. Step down, Cardinal Bernard F. Law, while you still have some dignity and respect left.