Still hoping for the best

By Domenico Bettinelli, Jr. ( articles - email ) | Dec 02, 2003

Just received word that the first Talking about Touching review meeting for the Archdiocese of Boston will take place tomorrow. (In case you hadn't heard, Archbishop Sean O'Malley has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Richard Malone to form a committee to review the program, a committee that will include opponents and proponents of the program. Eight meetings have been scheduled with the first one being tomorrow.)

The Concerned Catholic School Parents group that has been leading the charge against the program found out today that they need to be prepared to present their side of the story tomorrow at 3 pm. And they will get 15 minutes to talk. That's 15 minutes out of a total of 8 meetings. And if they can't speak tomorrow, they can speak at the January meeting. Are these monthly meetings? That means they'll still be discussing this next summer.

When asked who the members of the committee are, the parents' group was said that this is confidential. Um, unless they will be wearing hoods at the meeting tomorrow, won't the presenter from the group find out then anyway? What they were able to find out is that the committee is composed of a priest or two, some college professors, someone from the archdiocese's oversight and implementation committee that put Talking about Touching in schools and churches in the first place, and a victim of sexual abuse. Once again, no parents are included in a process that could have lifelong impact on their children. I guess they are taking to hear the archdiocesan spokesman's comment that the parents just have to trust them and "buy into the system." I mean, it's worked out so well for Geoghan's and Shanley's and .... victims, didn't it?