quis custodiet, etc.

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Oct 15, 2009

 There's a dreary familiarity about the facts of the case, as reported in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. A priest was accused of molesting boys. A chancery bureaucrat investigated, uncovered evidence, but did not make that evidence public nor warn potential victims. Eventually there were "as many as 200" abuse complaints. Finally the priest was removed, and he took up residence in another diocese-- where he continued to work with innocent young people. The accused priest is now dead, but one of his allegedly numerous victims has filed a lawsuit against the archdiocese.

(There's one unusual aspect to this case: the accused priest specialized in working with deaf children, and reportedly selected his victims from that group. But that does not change the basic pattern.)

Far more interesting is the fact that the chancery official who investigated the early complaints now serves on the archdiocesan review board, set up to weigh sex-abuse complaints. His colleagues on that board insist that he's a tough advocate for victims' rights. Victims-rights advocates are, understandably, not so sure.

Welcome to the world of the Dallas Charter, in which all problems are resolved and trust is restored.