Inspiring confidence

By Fr. Wilson ( articles ) | Jun 16, 2003

The chairman of the independent, lay National Review Board, Governor Frank Keating, has announced his resignation after he had provoked a firestorm by publicly charging that some bishops were not being forthcoming with his committee's review of the problem of sexual abuse in the Church.

(Actually, it was a bit more pointed than that. The Governor actually compared the secrecy code observed by some bishops to La Cosa Nostra. I've seen some amused reactions online, conceding that the Governor's comments were unjust: the Mafia doesn't tolerate child molesters, it kills them. The Guv insulted the Dons with the comparison.).

This is a sad thing, but it was to be expected. Nothing has changed. There was no reason to think anything had; the bishops have striven mightily to control the damage and be sure that as few of them as possible suffered in the wake of the Scandal. Mr. Keating took his mandate seriously; Mr. Keating must go, to make way for someone who understands that warm, fuzzy feeling one gets when everything is back to Business As Usual.