whosoever shall scandalize one of these not-so-little ones ...

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Jan 09, 2005

A California attorney, once a faithful Catholic, has been shaken out of his faith by his work in the sex abuse scandals. Not surprisingly, he wins the "strange new respect award" from the approved sources.

Listening to his clients' stories took a toll on Manly's lifelong religious commitment. He no longer attends Mass and is trying to piece together what's left of his faith. His only certainty is that his faith in the Catholic Church is gone. "I think the institutional Catholic Church -- from Rome all the way to Orange County -- is absolutely and completely corrupt," he says. ...

His wife, Jill, whom he married in 1999, converted to Catholicism at his behest. Then came his work on the sexual-abuse cases. Manly would come home and share the harrowing details with her. ...

Having represented [Joelle] Casteix, who accused a Mater Dei choirmaster of impregnating her while she was a student there, Manly is more accepting of abortion, which he once saw as unarguably wrong. Seeing the courage of gay clients led him to an about-face on the issue of homosexuality, he said. He now believes gays should be allowed to marry.

They don't make millstones big enough.