OHIO
Toledo Blade
BY MARILOU JOHANEK
BLADE COLUMNIST
When the worldwide scandal of pedophile priests tore a hole in the robes of the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy, hypocrisy was starkly exposed. The perception that the church cared more about its clerics and institutional preservation than the mortals it was meant to serve and save was reinforced.
The church tried desperately to keep a lid on the sexual abuse perpetrated by its priests. Victims were not a priority.
Accused clerics frequently were reassigned by diocesan dictate. Their alleged sins remained secret until they abused again.
The scars they left are lasting. The shame of that chapter in church history is still being written.
But the church is still protecting its brotherhood of priests, still reluctant to condemn its own for molestation and even murder. Last week, the Toledo Catholic Diocese buried a convicted murderer who wore a Roman collar for most of his adult life.
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