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	Priest Child Sex Abuse Pope's Excellent First Step Editorial Philadelphia Inquirer April 21, 2008 http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080421_Editorial__Priest_Child_Sex_Abuse.html Finally, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church has spoken out in strong terms against the priest child sex abuse scandal, calling it "evil" and "immoral." In his first papal trip to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI said he was "deeply ashamed" of the pedophilia in the priesthood. Benedict acknowledged that the scandal - which first exploded into public view in 2002 in Boston - was poorly handled by the church hierarchy. The pope's comments may be late, but they are greatly welcomed and appreciated. In Washington on Thursday, he even met in private with five adults who had been victims of clergy sex abuse. It was refreshing to hear an official of the church speak in such clear, plain language, rather than the usual incremental, nuanced phrasing that sounds like Alan Greenspan dissecting the economy. But, while Benedict's comments will go a long way toward helping to heal the wounds and restore shattered trust for many, much more must be done. Indeed, the pope called on the church's bishops to "address the sin of abuse" as part of a "determined, collective response." In Philadelphia, one giant step that Cardinal Justin Rigali should take would be to support a law that would allow victims to sue abusers after the statute of limitations has passed. California and Delaware have passed laws that provide such a "window" of up to two years to file civil suits, regardless of when the assaults occurred. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia has opposed such a measure in Pennsylvania. The window would also help bring clarity to the decades-long coverup of the crimes by bishops in charge who moved pedophiles from parish to parish. A 2005 grand jury report found 63 priests in the Philadelphia archdiocese who had abused hundreds of children over several decades. In some cases, top archdiocese leaders concealed the abuse in an effort to protect the church, the report said. Despite the coverup efforts, a flood of lawsuits nationwide has cost the church $2 billion and forced a handful of dioceses into bankruptcy. Tougher still to calculate is the number of Catholics disillusioned by the scandal and the drop in morale for the majority of upstanding priests dedicated to the church. That has translated into a drop in church attendance, financial giving, and men entering the priesthood. To be sure, the window for lawsuits shouldn't pertain just to the Catholic Church, but to all religious institutions, public schools, youth groups and any other organization where child sex abuse occurred. The Associated Press last year found 2,500 cases nationwide from 2001 to 2005 where public-school teaching credentials were revoked, denied, surrendered or sanctioned following allegations of sexual misconduct. At least half the educators punished by the school were also convicted of crimes related to their misconduct. The pope took a good first step in addressing a problem that has plagued the church. Now, it's up to the bishops throughout America to follow his lead.
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