CALIFORNIA
Mercury News
By William Lynch
Special to the Mercury News
mercurynews.com
Posted: 03/22/2013
On its surface the election of Pope Francis would appear to offer renewed hope for true reform within the Catholic Church.
Two weeks into his reign the honeymoon continues, with the media marveling at the new pope’s easy smile and obvious warmth. They speak of his willingness to live modestly and travel around Rome in a Volkswagen instead of a big limousine.
While the media have the power to effect real change, they continue to focus on the superficial while ignoring the elephant in the room.
The real question to be addressed is this: When and how will Pope Francis confront the ongoing cover-up of the sexual abuse of children within his church?
I am a victim of this Catholic Church. And
Will Lynch in San Francisco, 2012. (LiPo Ching)I want an answer to that question.
When I was seven years old and at a Catholic Church camping trip in northern California, my four year old brother and I were raped by Father Jerold Lindner. Lindner, who has been accused of abusing many others, including his own family members, has never been prosecuted. Still a priest, he roams freely from the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos while still being paid by his enablers, the Catholic Church.
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