Well Hidden
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I wasn’t going to draw another cartoon about the most recent pedophile priest scandal, especially during the Easter holiday. Then I heard the sanctimonious sermons from the Vatican, witnessed the refusal to take responsibility, the deflection of blame, and, worst of all, the Vatican acting as though the Church was the victim of this scandal, and I changed my mind. Comparing the criticism of the Church’s handling of its problems to anti-semitism was the worst of all. Nobody is claiming that pedophile priests do what they do because they are Catholic, nor does anyone attribute the crimes they commit to Catholics in general. The analogy not only doesn’t hold, it’s an affront to the victims of the anti-semitism promulgated for centuries by the Church, not to mention the victims the Church failed for so many years to protect. We are still waiting for more than an apology from the Vatican. While individual priests have been (belatedly) disciplined, the Church hierarchy has yet to hold itself accountable for ignoring and, in many cases, covering up the scandal. Until we get something other than the self-pitying homilies of the past weekend, the scandal closing in on the Pope will continue to grow.
