US Scandals Affect Local Views on Vatican Crisis

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20100426/EDIT03/4250364
US scandals affect local views on Vatican crisis
By Dan Horn • dhorn@enquirer.com • April 26, 2010

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This article first appeared in The Sunday Enquirer, April 25, 2010.

Catholics who were frustrated and angry over the church's response - or lack thereof - to abusive priests in 2002 are outraged by the more recent accusations that the pope failed to punish abusers when he was a bishop and a cardinal.

"The latest audit from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops found that the number of new credible abuse reports fell from 10 in 2008 to six last year."

"But some Catholics remain skeptical of the church's commitment and say the pope's actions as a bishop show that he was just as out of touch as the American bishops who tolerated abusive priests for years."

"The troubles in Munich relate to a known pedophile priest who was allowed to work in German parishes even after his superiors became aware of the abuse. As bishop, the pope was in charge of the diocese and responsible for dealing with abusive priests."