Civil authorities must investigate Catholic church

I welcome the Journal Sentinel’s story about the Pennsylvania grand jury report that documents clergy sexual abuse and related coverup by bishops in six Catholic dioceses in that commonwealth (“Report: Church shielded 300 Pa. ‘predator priests,’” Aug. 15).

The similarity in coverup behavior found in each diocese is shocking and obviously systemic. Most parents would never allow a child to be near a person who is a known sexual abuser or even suspected of being one. But, these bishops didn’t hesitate to do so.

Of course, is Pennsylvania the only place where the Catholic church has behaved so horrifically? Hardly. However, convincing documentation does not exist as clearly as it now does in Pennsylvania.

Civil governments must take the lead, as was done in Pennsylvania, and do what the church won’t do. Many more grand juries need to be impaneled and empowered to find and declare the truth, because without truth there can be no justice, and without justice there will be no healing.

Thus, we in Wisconsin should demand the establishment of far-reaching grand jury investigations into the Catholic church’s sexual abuse scandal. Doing so would serve the common good of our society.

Fr. James Connell

priest Archdiocese of Milwaukee

Milwaukee