The Storm around the Pope

I've been watching with sorrow the storm around the pope as the sex abuse scandals widen. Did he know what was going on in Germany? Was he involved in protecting the guilty? Obviously the anti-Catholic news media doesn't care about the truth. They want to see the Church and the highest churchman discredited. Funny, though, how they save their most vicious attacks for those considered "orthodox." Villains like Mahony and Weakland, by comparison, get the soft soap treatment.

Occasionally, I come across an article that seems pretty clear cut and this one from the Associated Press which appeared in The Washington Times on Good Friday is disturbing:

Vatican waited years to defrock AZ priest

Is there really any excuse for ecclesial courts to take over a decade to decide a case? Is the right to a speedy trial only a constitutional right in a U.S. civil court? Shouldn't it also be a moral right in the Church? Something is wrong here with both the delay and the secrecy.

Pray for poor Holy Mother Church. Beg the Lord to send us priests like those of the early Church many of whom gave their lives for the faith. And let us pray for the same spirit among the laity. We are often too quick to point the fingers at others and give ourselves a pass.