POPE FRANCIS AND SEX ABUSE

POPE FRANCIS AND SEX ABUSE

A "zero tolerance" policy is nice, and almost sounds tough.  But what about punishing the known offenders?  Shouldn't they be turned over to the appropriate law enforcement officials. to face criminal charges?

"Zero tolerance" says simply that the Catholic Church WILL NO LONGER HIDE CRIMINAL  SEX ABUSERS.  That isn't enough.   Pope Francis has to release the information on those whom the Catholic Church knows are sex offenders so that they can face justice.

Anything less than that is itself criminal.  And hiding sex abusers and sex abuse makes the Pope guilty of such himself.  It's called 'misprision of a felony," or being an "accessory after the fact."

He needs to turn over the church officials who have themselves hidden sex abuse--like Cardinal Mahoney of Boston, who was escaped from Boston authorities by Pope Benedict and hidden away in St. Mary Major basilica in Rome.  Send him back to Boston for trial.

                                                          Bert Hornback