MINNESOTA
Star Tribune
Article by: MARK PETERSON Updated: October 16, 2014
The media tirelessly cover the sex abuse scandal, focusing on a just a sliver of the priesthood.
The Star Tribune regularly reminds us of the scandal in the Catholic Church, highlighting the horrible actions of the priests who molested young boys and the bishops who covered up for those priests.
These priests and bishops committed horrendous sins and will be held to account not only in the media but by Almighty God. As a practicing Catholic, I pray often for healing for all the victims of this terrible abuse.
Yet I believe that today’s media are painting a picture of the Catholic Church based on the actions of a minority of priests. The John Jay Report of 2011 estimated that about 4 percent of priests were accused of abuse between 1950 and 2002.
On a regular basis, newspapers print front-page stories detailing the actions of the four among every 100 priests who went astray, while paying little or no heed to the 96 good and humble priests who have remained faithful and true to God and to their congregations.
The story has become so distorted that it is like opening a Bible to the New Testament accounts and finding references only to Judas Iscariot, the one apostle of the 12 who went astray, while discovering that the references to the 11 who remained faithful have been expunged, or perhaps mentioned only in footnotes. Judas Iscariot’s actions should never be used to tarnish Jesus and his message. In the same way, the actions of four of every 100 priests cannot falsify the teachings of the Catholic Church.
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