Jerry Sandusky will most likely spend the rest of his natural life in prison.  He was sentenced to 30 to 60 years for his sexually abusive dalliances with boys.  Penn State university has been shamed, the ousted president has been shamed, the ousted athletic director has been shamed, the late Joe Patterno and his family have been shamed.  Law suits will ensue and two more trials are set to take place.  The current president of Penn State has taken great pains in being transparent when it has come to the cooperation with evil that some at Penn State are guilty of.  (At least they appear to be transparent.)

Now if we look at a number of diocese and archdiocese caught up in their own sexual scandal we do not see transparency, and in fact not even the appearance of transparency.  How many bishops, archbishops, cardinal archbishops did nothing but fight tooth and nail against anyone who dared challenge their own authority?  The fact that laws were broken and the moral law of God was disregarded did not seem to matter at all.  (Well it does matter.)  Is it a wonder that so many people who identify themselves as Catholic but have weak faith have left over this issue?  We constantly need to remind ourselves that the moral authority of the Church comes from God and not these men.

 Thomas S. Neuberger the lawyer who handled the sexual abuse suit against the Diocese of Wilmington and represented the clergy abuse victims has published a book dealing with ten cases of abuse.  Horror stories of clergy sexual abuse during a celebration of all things scary seems both ironic and appropriate. 

And still there are priests and lay-people who do not understand the devastation of abuse.  They say, (much to my agitation), that victims are in this for the money.  Yes, reliving the horror of the abuse, admitting it happened and going public with it is worth the money.  (That was sarcasm.)