UNITED STATES
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William D. Lindsey

In Recent News (One Hand, Other Hand): How Catholic Leaders Deal with Priests Guilty of Abusing Minors v. How Catholic Leaders Deal with Lay Employees Who Are Gay

In the news lately, there’s this: as this editorial in the Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY) indicates, this past Wednesday, Father James Taylor, a Catholic priest in Niskayuna, pled guilty to having sexual contact with a 15-year-old girl. Taylor was arrested in April. His bishop, Edward Scharfenberger, placed him on administrative leave after the arrest, but has announced that the diocesan sexual misconduct review board will not make a final decision about Taylor’s continuing work as a priest until after the civil proceedings against him have finished.

Scharfenberger’s approach to the case prompts the Daily Gazette to ask,

[W]hy wait until civil legal proceedings have been completed before holding a hearing, to then determine whether Taylor…