No one is above the law

Pedophilia criminals should not be given special privileges no matter what circumstances, including those in religious positions. \nAt a recent bishops conference in Dallas, new national guidelines were set concerning how the Catholic Church will handle cases of sexual abuse. It was determined that church officials are required to report any and all allegations of a minor being abused by a member of the clergy. \nA large question has come into play, though, because while priests risk being ousted from practicing in the Catholic faith if they commit sexual abuse crimes or have sexual relations of any sort with minors, they are allowed to voluntarily leave the ministry if they are offenders of the past. They are then able to continue working in supervised works of the priesthood.\nIf a regular citizen were to commit a sexual crime against a minor, would he or she not be subject to severe punishment? Why do priests get special privileges simply because they work in a religious setting? \nWashington Post writer Valerie Strauss wrote, "The growth (of Catholic school enrollment) is attributed to a desire for more 'values-based' education than the public schools can provide at a tuition cost far lower than many independent private schools can offer." More "values-based" education should also include teachers who stand by the values they teach. We understand that many legitimate priests practice the Catholic faith, but it's sad that a small few have tainted the reputation of the religion.\nAccording to an Associated Press report, the Westchester County grand jury said the decision made by the Church is "an orchestrated effort to protect abusing clergy members from investigation, arrest and prosecution." \nJoseph Zwilling, a New York Archdiocese spokesman, rebutted the jury's claim by saying, "The archdiocese will continue to do all that we can to protect children and young people in accord with our policy." He went on to call the jury's report "unbalanced, unfair and inaccurate."\nIf a child parish member were sexually abused by a member of the public, would the Church not stand by a decision that the criminal be prosecuted? Then why should the rules apply any differently to priests?\nA zero-tolerance policy is needed. The Church needs to take more measures to protect the members of its parish. If it wishes to revitalize its reputation in any way, the Catholic Church needs to stick by everything the faith stands for -- the acceptance of God and the effort to do away with sin.\n