How Should Allegations in the Catholic Church Be Handled?
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Brooklyne Garman
May 12, 2002
News Feature Assignment
Dr. Helms
EDE 300
How should allegations in the Catholic Church be handled?
Priests in the Roman Catholic Church perform the various tasks that are essential to the faith such as offering sacrifices for the living and dead and bringing tokens of
God’s grace to men in the sacraments they administer. All priests whose parishes have
Latin as its official language or where Western customs prevail demand celibacy. This promise is a step to their priestly ordination and has been the rule since at least Pope
Gregory I. It its believed that this preserves perfect chastity.
Recently, the Catholic Church has been in the news for allegations against priests for abusing children. The Dayton Daily News featured an article about local complaints that have been made. Several of the allegations are from victims who claim these crimes occurred over twenty years ago when they were teenagers. Criminal charges are pending because offenses of this kind have statute of limitations of 20 years from actual time of the incident. One such case occurred in the town of Fort Loramie, Ohio at the St.
Michael Church where the Rev. Thomas Hopp presided. Rev. Hopp has been accused of crimes that took place in 1980 at a parish he previously attended. When questioned by authorities, Hopp admitted he did perform the alleged acts. Members of his current church were interviewed and many could not believe that the accusations were true. Many said that forgiveness takes a large role in their religion and that priests are human beings and do make mistakes. Rev. Hopp since then has resigned from the parish.
In New York, the Pope and U.S. Cardinals met to discuss the allegations that are sweeping across the U.S. Roman Catholic Church. It has been decided that all priests with allegations against them are suspended from their duties until all is resolved.
Authorities should be contacted if any abuse has been suspected.
But what should be the resolution to this? The victims have come forward and are looking for closure. The Catholic Church believes in forgiveness of sins and that all people make mistakes. If these allegations had occurred in another area such as the medical field or a business office, how would the consequences of these actions differ?
How much should be kept private in the priesthood? These questions will determine the outcome of this issue that has dominated news broadcasts for weeks.