Cardinals Scramble to Defeat Abuse Bills

[MountainLaurel]

"Jesus loves the little children . . . all the children of the world!"

Come on, everyone, sing together . . . .

Roman Catholic Church officials are putting a full-court press on Maryland legislators to reject bills that would extend the time allowed for victims of childhood sex abuse to file lawsuits against abusers and their employers.

Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of the Washington archdiocese and Cardinal William H. Keeler of the Baltimore archdiocese have gotten involved, expressing opposition to the bills to House Judiciary Committee members directly or through intermediaries. The archdioceses also have hired a prominent Annapolis lobbying firm, Schwartz & Metz, to supplement the efforts of the Maryland Catholic Conference, their regular lobbying arm.

"Almost everyone on the committee has acknowledged to me that the church has called them or called their ministers about the bill, and they are meeting with every member of the committee, including me," said Del. Pauline H. Menes (D-Prince George's), the bills' principal sponsor.

Del. Carol S. Petzold (D-Montgomery) described the church's lobbying as "just short of frantic. It appears to be a very high priority with them."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/23/AR2006032301776.html

[Skidmore]

1. What can you say?

What is wrong with these people?

[MichiganVote]

2. Everything. Everything you can think of is wrong with these people.

[MountainLaurel]

4. 2,000 years of not having to answer to anyone?

What struck me were how blatant their efforts were to lobby lawmakers on the bills: inviting lawmakers over for dinner?

[lpbk2713]

3. Um .... is this guy one of the Cardinals?

He says he is anyway.


:shrug:

[TlalocW]

5. The Baltimore Archdiocese just needs to

Call the Boston one. They can tell them how to hide their assets like land holdings, etc. while being sued by victims.

God, I love the Catholic church - No artificial birth control; our ministry is not allowed to have sex; if you don't agree with us on abortion, you aren't allowed communion, but hey, a bunch of priests molest kids, and instead of doing the right thing and turning them over to the police, they shuffle them around from parish to parish and then do what they can to cover their hypocritical, pasty-white asses.

TlalocW