Catholic bishops' lesson for Penn State: Call the cops!

[rug]

Nov 06, 2011
By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY Updated 5h 39m ago

A trusted adult, respected by the community, offers special programs for vulnerable boys -- then sexually abuses them. Word travels up to higher authorities, but no one calls the police. They handle it within...

Sound familiar? It's the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal rewritten on a university campus.

This time it's Penn State officials playing the role of the bishops from Boston to Los Angeles and scores of cities in between, from the 1950s to 2002 when the scandal exploded into national headlines. Now, instead of a priest as serial child molestor, a grand jury alleges that former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky preyed on boys he met through his youth foundation and enticed into his control with special access to the university's facilities.

According to our coverage: Sandusky, 67, was arrested Saturday and released on $100,000 bail after being arraigned on 40 criminal counts based on alleged sexual abuse of eight boys, the state attorney general's office said.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2011/11/penn-state-paterno-sex-abuse-catholic-priest-scandal/1

[MichiganVote]

1. Er..and in case they're wondering, don't claim Canon Law.

[Maccagirl]

2. The same point was raised by ABC News tonight.

Whenever a powerful institution engages in scandalous behavior-it's always the same story. Maintaining power is all that matters to them.