Get them out!

15 DAYS TO FREEDOM DAY:  04 October 2008.

 Time served behind bars for caring about children and losing faith in the administration of justice:  

216 days.

 Perry served a six month sentence for civil contempt of court!!!  He is now serving an additional 30 day sentence for criminal contempt of court. No early release.  Unlike other inmates Perry will serve every single day.

This is the institutional response to allegations of childhood sexual abuse.

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A dental reprieve 🙂  Antibiotics –  extractions scheduled for Monday.

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The five-legged fly has yet again disappeared.  Dead or alive he is nowhere to be seen.  With time on his hands Perry has scrutinized every inch of the window.  There are two small gaps in the rubber trim on the outer pane.  Does the little maimed fellow hole up in there?  Or, can he actually get out and in at will? 

Yesterday four black squirrels provided some entertainment.  Perry watched from his window as the four sat like statues as squirrels can.  One in particular was minding his own business.  Then , without any apparent provocation, he was charged by a buddy with the white tip at the end of his tail. 

Chaos.  A battle royal between the two.

Entertainment.

As I chatted with Perry today I could hear CIA bellowing in the background.  Apparentlty earlier in the day it went like this:

“ Hey guards!!”

Silence.

“ Are you allowed to hunt in here?”

Perry will never be shy on stories after Freedom Day 🙂  Imagine.  Two weeks tomorrow 🙂

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A few thoughts

(1)  Why do sexual predators enjoy the benefit of anonymity?  I know that in the case of 18 September 2008: Man should be sentenced as a minor, contends lawyer at city courthouse  the victim has no fear of being identified.  But, there’s a publication ban.  His molesters are protected.  What does that do to protect children from known molesters?

I don’t know the circumstances of  19 September 2008:  Man found guilty of sex assault involving teenaged boy,but, there it is again.  I have trouble with a known sexual predator enjoying the protection and anonymity proferred by a publication ban.

(2) The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops holds its annual plenary in Cornwall next week.

A reminder here that the Canadian bishops are, for some strange reason, collectively opposed to defrocking clerical molesters. 

Back in 2006 Archbishop James Weisgerber, the newly elected CCCB president said
“The number one rule is that children be protected…No priest who has abused children should have any public ministry.”

The operative words there are “ public ministry.”  Weisgerber and his fellow bishop bishops think its just fine and dandy to ship a known clerical molester off to study elsewhere where his crimes and sins are unknown, or to pop him into an administrative slot at the diocesan centre. 

For the general unwitting public with whom the molester interacts, he is a priest.  Indeed many if not most lay Catholics believe that clergy who work in diocesan offices are a cut above the rest.  Little do they know that those offices have become a holding tank for clercial sexual predators.

 The bottom line is that as long as he’s still a priest the clerical molester is identified as a priest  in ‘ good standing’ in his diocese.  And the truth of the matter is he is a criminal, a threat to children – protected and harboured by his superiors. 

What the bishops think this does to instil and/or restore faith in the priesthood and the Church I have no idea, but it’s certainly not the answer.  The Church should be purged of priests who prey on children and youth.  One strike they’re out.   Compassion for the needs, fears and perceptions of the faithful should transcend any sense of compassion for clerical sexual predators.

The latest line we seem to hear ad nauseam  is that it is best to keep the clerical predator in the preisthood so they, Church officials, can keep an eye on them. 

All I can say to that is that it plain defies logic.  If the concern is that no one but clergy is adequately equipped to keep an eye on clerical molesters who are out and about then get busy and fight for stiffer sentencing to ensure molesters aren’t out and about. 

But, really!  They really want us to believe that someone is going to keep them in tow 24/7?  – not to mention that  children have been molested at the dining room table with both parents present? 

Sexual predators do not belong in the priesthood.  Defrock them.  Get them out!  
By all means keep a charitable eye on them once they’re out, and by all means help them secure their salvation as laymen, but, get them out of the priesthood.  Faith in the Church will not be restored until clerical molesters are purged from the ranks of the priesthood.

A final word. Would that we heard half the compassion voiced for victims that we hear for their clerical molesters.

Enough for now,

Sylvia

(cornwall@theinquiry.ca)