May 9, 2002

9:24 AM

'"Would you state your name for the record?'' the man whose visage has now graced the cover of every national newsweekly was asked at the start of yesterday's session. 'Yes,'' the cardinal said. ''My name is Bernard Francis Law.'' Wonderfully written analysis on yesterday's deposition from my favorite paper.
posted by luser (5 comments total)

It's a 68 page printout

I'm gonna comment in the next few days...
posted by matteo at 10:25 AM on May 9, 2002

As a recovering Catholic I am taking (shameful and) sadistic glee in seeing the organization burned to the ground - the Catholic Church is a diseased dinosaur. And it's a real shame because there are men and women out there who are busting ass in the world's shit-holes and doing the mission work that Christ would be doing now. There is no reason why the organization should be able to resolve such crimes internally - it can't be trusted to police itself and will remain complicit in moving around sex offenders to keep it's nose clean.

'It's an undignified situation for a churchman with his rank and character to be publicly deposed.

It's an undignified situation for a churchman to cover his own ass and committ the worst sins of pride. And to think of all the churches and priests that could still be employed if there weren't all of these legal bills. Makes me ill.
posted by ao4047 at 12:49 PM on May 9, 2002

Those interested in following the issue's reflection in U.S. publications might find the Poynter Institute's clergy abuse coverage blog interesting.

Of note for Jimmy Breslin fans: Breslin's take on Law's deposition.

We read over 100 double-spaced pages yesterday of Law's testimony. Each time we turned a page, a weight on our shoulders grew heavier. The "we" was Daniel Collins and Breslin. Some time back, trying to treat priests charged with being pedophiles by getting as close to outrageous as possible, we announced in the paper that I, Breslin, was going to take over the job of bishop from one of those who have fallen flat on their faces, and Collins, who speaks Latin and Old Greek, would be the auxiliary bishop. Getting a church was going to be simple. These dioceses from Boston to Washington were going to be selling churches and schools to pay the huge judgments families of abused kids were going to take down.
posted by sacre_bleu at 1:54 PM on May 9, 2002

Sometimes, just sometimes, I wish that I believed in god, heaven, hell, and satan...so that I could rest comfortably knowing that these wicked clergymen would burn forever in hell.
posted by davidmsc at 2:16 PM on May 9, 2002

The catholic church needs to be investigated under the RICO organized crime statute...
posted by owillis at 4:39 PM on May 9, 2002