ALBANY (NY)
Times Union [Albany NY]
August 30, 2021
By David Clohessy
If the law says a manufacturer can’t use some toxic chemical, the CEO need not understand why it’s dangerous. He or she must simply obey the law.
If the law says an employer can’t refuse to hire Blacks, the boss need not understand why discrimination is hurtful. He or she must simply obey the law.
And if the law says adults raping kids is wrong, the boss need not understand what that’s so. He or she must simply obey the law.
Howard J. Hubbard, bishop emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany, and every single U.S. Catholic bishop knew long ago that child sex abuse was illegal. Who cares or knows how much or little they knew about the devastating effects of abuse. They knew it was wrong. They kept it hidden.
Hubbard’s claim in his commentary “Hubbard: Much we didn’t understand about sexual abuse,” Aug. 13, that where they “fell short was in our failure to fully understand the impacts on victims and survivors” rings dreadfully hollow and self-serving.
David Clohessy
St Louis, Mo.