The Catholic Monitor

Many things are being shaken in the world, and within the Church there is much sifting. For example, the media's desperate straining to find evidence of Pope Benedict's complicity in a sexual abuse cases is so very interesting, and very revealing. That he is entirely innocent of cover-up or lack of prudence in these matters is ignored, while the little shreds of nuanced inference are whipped up into a global crisis without any basis in fact. It is innuendo, circumstantial "evidence." If such groundless allegations were brought into a courtroom, any sane judge would immediately dismiss the case and fine the accusers for contempt of court. The unjustly accused could easily file a libel suit. Whenever the media goes into a shark-feeding-frenzy against the Church, their own radical bias is exposed. For example, the number of school teachers accused of sexual abuse of the young, during any given year, is usually about 10 to 20 times higher (one recent article claimed the

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=36362 Anti-Catholicism and the Times by Patrick J. Buchanan 04/06/2010 "Anti-Catholicism," said writer Peter Viereck, "is the anti-Semitism of the intellectual." It is "the deepest-held bias in the history of the American people," said Arthur Schlesinger Sr. If there was any doubt that hatred of and hostility toward the Catholic Church persists, it was removed by the mob that has arisen howling "Resign!" at Pope Benedict XVI. To American Catholics, the story of pedophile priests engaged in criminal abuse of children, of pervert priests seducing boys, is unfortunately all too familiar. That some bishops covered up for pedophiles and seducers and enabled corrupt clergy to continue to prey on boys was equally disgraceful. But to American Catholics, this is an old story. The priests have been defrocked, some sent to prison, like John Geoghan, who was strangled in his cell. Bishops have been removed. "Ze