da qualche fessura sia entrato il fumo di Satana nel tempio di Dio

Every citizen is subject to civil authority including priests and bishops. When criminal activity occurs the evil doer can and ought to be punished. It's called "Justice."

Database of Publicly Accused Priests in the United States

Honor Authority

13 Be ye subject therefore to every human creature for God’s sake: whether it be to the king as excelling, 14 Or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of the good. 15 For so is the will of God, that by doing well you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 16 As free and not as making liberty a cloak for malice, but as the servants of God.

1 Peter 2:13-17
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We have to hold our church together and not divide it through gossip or pointing the finger at our leaders,

Our Church has been decimated precisely because of the actions and the complacency of "our leaders."

Bishops Accused of Abuse
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Despite the historical volume and persistence of such denial, most Catholics across the spectrum are now admitting what even the late Fr. John Hardon saw as undeniable — that the Catholic Church is currently experiencing its worst crisis in history. Given that such a serious claim is now beyond reasonable debate, what could possibly have happened to bring it all about? Was it a 1960's revolution against authority? An American problem attributable to cultural decline? A "failure to embrace the true spiritual promise of Vatican II"?

The recently-exposed behavior of the Church hierarchy has shocked more than one casual observer into entertaining the perfectly sensible notion that maybe the Church leaders are not doing all they can in the realm of governance. It occurs to them that perhaps the depths this scandal reached had something to do with the individuals who allowed it to continue. While some will always dismiss such notions as "anti-Catholic" (even when coming from the mouth of arguably the most Catholic bishop in the United States), others will realize that it's time to put down the pom-poms and take an honest look at the situation.

For what we are seeing is not at all mysterious for those who have read the dire warnings of pre-Conciliar pontiffs and who hold a truly Catholic sense of the role and responsibilities of the Supreme Pontiff. The novelties which began to be introduced to the Church with such great hope and optimism during the 1960's bore their fruits early on; causing even Pope Paul VI to spend his remaining days lamenting the results.

www.seattlecatholic.com/article_2002082…

Let us keep in silence and bring all things to prayer and God. Priest are the extentions of Jesus there faults are Gods dealings alone. Anyone accused will be fully investigated with accurate information and still the outcome which it be, is for Gods mercy. We have to hold our church together and not divide it through gossip or pointing the finger at our leaders, the media does enough of damaging our church when the full truth is not being clear. We must examine our own desires of reason as to expose or damage through words our church by stories or news and give every situation to the lord. Lord forgive us all we are just poor wretched sinners please except our prayers of mercy and hope for graces and your kingdom to arise here now, in the moment. Amen to all.

I can understand that Cardinal Dolan, probably felt at the time, a tremendous pressure to quickly get rid of the offending priests. However, priests are not employees, and any anyone in the Church who commits a criminal act should be turned over to the police and charges filed...with no pay. Bishops should stop acting like politically correct corporate CEO's and more like Shepherds, who are real mean that protect the their flock.

The documents, obtained by the New York Times, also show that Dolan lied to reporters when he initially dismissed news of the payments as “false, preposterous and unjust”

If there is nothing"wrong" in making these payments to abusive priests , why did he deny doing it only admitting the payments AFTER the NY times found the damaging documents? If there is nothing "wrong" in what he did, shouldn't Dolan have honestly said "What is wrong with giving severance pay to a former employee."

Actually Cardinal Dolan, then the archbishop, responded that such an inference ($20,000 cash payouts) was “false, preposterous and unjust.”

The fact is that this kind of action by a Catholic prelate is unseemly and Dolan knew it especially for The Archdiocese of Milwaukee which has since gone bankrupt. This smacks of yet another cover-up and we all know what cover-ups have cost the Church in money damages. ($3 Billion and still counting)