It’s working. This is exactly what needs to happen when survivors find the courage to come forward — more must follow. This is the only path to achieving mass shifts in the way child sex abuse cases are handled and the way institutional corruption is punished. The emergence of seven new victims of serial rapist Father Stephen Kiesle is a tragic yet indicative example of how this process works and we applaud them all for their courage. We also applaud those who came before and inspired these new victims to speak up.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Kiesle case, it is a hallmark of Vatican sex abuse cover-up. Maybe you’ve stayed connected with this broader story of the Church and its sex abuse scandals over the years, and you’ve believed accounts of Vatican officials and bishops acting recklessly and inappropriately — but if you’re like most people, you’ve probably never seen any direct evidence. That’s about to change. Take a look at this translation of a letter written by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. It’s as strikingly pure an expression of corrupt and selfish motives as you’ll ever find, and if any one line sums this whole catastrophe up, it’s this one, penned by Ratzinger: “This court, although it regards the arguments presented in favour of removal in this case to be of grave significance, nevertheless deems it necessary to consider the good of the Universal Church…”
Tell everyone you know.