In regard to the April 11 letter "Coverup sets church apart," one must say "Amen." For far too long the Catholic church has been playing a frightful game of "hide the pedophile priest," putting untold numbers of children and families at risk. When an innocent child falls victim to sexual assault by a deviant member of the supposed "celibate" clergy, both the child and his or her family suffer. For far too long the church has tried to protect pedophile priests from public scorn and criminal proceedings in a futile attempt to keep its holy image from being badly tarnished. By allowing such priests to simply transfer to a new parish, the church was not only putting more children at risk, it was aiding and abetting in a criminal enterprise.
Ultimately the scheme to hide the pervert priests in such a manner has proven all the more damaging and self-defeating. Anyone wearing the Catholic clerical collar today is suspect because the clergy pedophile scandal has become so widespread and the coverups more and more egregious. And the lax attitude of the hierarchy toward such priests doesn't speak well of the bishops, cardinals or even the pope himself. But then again, how many of the upper clergy in the church's hierarchy are just as guilty of such criminal pedophile acts themselves? Only God knows — and that's the way the church likes it. Jesus said "suffer the little children." The current Catholic policy seems to be, "let the children suffer." It might be time for a major house cleaning at the Vatican and across the Catholic world.