The tone here is a little different today – because I am angry…

Driving home yesterday, I heard, not one, but two stories about Catholic Priests found guilty of sexual molestation and abuse. The 1st involved a priest found guilty of sexual misconduct involving a 16 year old girl who TRUSTED him and his position of power. The sexual coercion and abuse started when the girl was just 14 years old. The 2nd was about a priest found guilty of sexually abusing a boy (ironically in the choir). Several other charges were dropped because of the statute of limitations.

There are so many wonderful and giving priests, who dedicate their lives to service, who are giving, loving and caring. There are so many wonderful Catholics who are moral, good people. So here here is my question:

WHY THE HELL DON’T THEY OUT THE BASTARDS WHO PREY ON INNOCENTS? WHY DO THEY PROTECT THEM?

I think I have an answer…

They are embarrassed…

You see, we are shamed when we find our trust unworthy. We blame ourselves… We fall into a state of denial that this trusted one could do something so despicable. But in doing so we turn our backs on the victims.

This from a Los Angeles Times Article:

Federal authorities are investigating the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles to see whether top church officials tried to cover up the sexual abuse of minors by priests, said a person familiar with the matter.

Cardinal Roger Mahony, who heads the archdiocese, the largest in the U.S., has been criticized by victims’ groups for his past handling of sexual-abuse allegations against priests. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has been investigating allegations of such abuses for several years.

District Attorney Steve Cooley criticized the archdiocese in 2007 for its “institutional moral failure” to “supervise predatory priests.” A spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office said their investigation is still open.

We need to call these abusers out. How are we to be the moral flagship of a changing world when we can’t even protect our own.

Whether it’s the father who rapes his daughter, the boss who uses his position to sexually intimidate and abuse an underling, or a trusted member of a church – they need to be outed! They need to be paraded through the town square…

We as spiritually conscious beings can no longer tolerate sexual abuse that usually targets the young and the weak.

We need to provide the an environment for the victims that is essentially a safe haven. They need to feel safe and free from the guilt that comes with being abused. The victims are NOT guilty – they did not bring this upon themselves. Abusers are evil and should be treated as such. They may be sick – but that is no excuse to abuse.

As a man, I am embarrassed. Men (not always, but mostly) are the abusers. We as men need to take a stand. As a society we can no longer keep this as our dirty little secret. We need to, once and for all, call a spade a spade and stop the abuse by calling out and punishing the abusers!

And no, I am not a victim of abuse – but you don’t need to be a victim to speak out!

The message that we need to send loud and clear is that we will no longer tolerate abuse of any kind. And realistically, we can’t point to abuse in other parts of the world until we clean up our own mess. And clean it up we must.

Read more from Mothers Against Sexual Abuse
Women’s Institute for Incorporation Therapy