There is no statute of limitation (i.e., a time frame set by government in which a crime may be prosecuted) in the U.S. for murder. So why are there state-by-state time limits for sexual assault, and why is the Catholic Church actively attempting to protect sex offenders from prosecution?
The New York Times reported this week that the Catholic Church has been lobbying politicians regarding time limits on sexual assault. And, rather than make it easier for victims to face their perpetrators, the Church may be hoping to do just the opposite. It seems the Church doesn't want children who were sexually abused to have the opportunity to prosecute the priests who they claim have harmed them. What about the risks posed by fuzzy memories or evidence contamination, after all? According to the Church, these are two of the many reasons that boys and girls molested by priests shouldn't get their days in court.
But alas, this Catholic fears the Catholic Church's reasoning is simply (and pathetically) nothing more than a flimsy, convenient façade. Catholic leaders want the horrific crimes perpetrated by priests on little boys and girls to go away because it hurts the Church, not because evidence gets old or memories fade. Catholic leadership doesn't want to admit to the abuse, or risk exposing how many in its ranks looked the other way or actively hide the abuses they witnessed. The Church doesn't want to deal with the emotional backlash of these God-less crimes against children, or pay these once trusting victims for their pain and suffering. With over $2 billion spent by the church in legal fees, victim payouts and the like, it's safe to assume the Church wants to limit the damage to the coffers as well.
Rather than do what is Christ-like -- what is right and what is good -- the Catholic Church hired outside consultants to make it even harder for victims to face their alleged perpetrators in criminal court. And, by protecting its own selfish interests, it inadvertently provides safe haven for rapists and pedophiles the nation over who benefit from time elapsing on their crimes.
Jerry Sandusky, the accused serial pedophile currently on trial for raping and sexually molesting several at-risk boys over the span of years, hopes to benefit from his state's time limits. Sandusky's defense team is keenly aware of Pennsylvania's time limits, and is desperately fighting to keep Jerry out of the hell of prison by making the hell the child victims allegedly suffered at his hands seem like old news. Should a rape victim be told that, because he/she couldn't tell his story to the right people in time, he no longer deserves legal recourse?
When the statute of limitations for sexual assault expires, the only ones who lets out a sigh of relief is the rapist and his/her abettors. Predators who have not been caught should live in constant fear of prosecution, an ever-present reminder of the atrocities they exacted. They should be forced to look over their shoulders until their last breaths are drawn, fearing the moment when they may be held accountable for their crimes. The victim cannot forget what happened, why should sexual criminals or our legal system or the Catholic Church be afforded such luxury?
A friend of mine was raped as a young girl over the period of several years by her stepfather. She carried a child's sense of guilt and shame well into her adult life, holding herself responsible for what he had done to her. When she finally came to grips with what had happened, she was told it was too late. She couldn't send him to prison for what he had done to that very little girl. Knowing that she might not even find a lawyer who would take the case, she eventually sued her rapist for damages in civil court. Thankfully, the arrogant pedophile admitted to the sexual assaults in a pre-trial deposition. She received a cash settlement (he was as wealthy as he was stupid) that covered some, but certainly not all, of the costs of her therapy. Her pedophile rapist never did one dime of time behind bars, and her emotional wounds plague her to this day. She is in her 40s.
A sexual assault victim shouldn't be told that the criminal clock rain out because we don't want to flood the court system with old cases or that people's memories fade making them somehow unreliable or that it's just plain hard to keep all that evidence hanging around in storage. All victims deserve justice, regardless how inconvenient it might be for the rest of us.
Time limits for the criminal prosecution of sexual abuse is pro-abuser, not pro-victim. Sexual assault victims don't get to forget. Neither should the sick, twisted members of our society who harmed them.
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The time has come for the predator priests and bullying bishops to know what it is to have nowhere to hide and nowhere to turn for a sympathetic ear. High time for predator priests and bullying bishops who abused their position and power to know for themselves what it feels like to be utterly POWERLESS! The time has come for them to endure the unreserved censure of the world community for their gross immorality, deviant behaviour and unspeakable acts of depravity. The time has come for the predator priests and bullying bishops to endure the torment, grief and anguish in their souls that their innocent victims endured for decades in unbearable silence. The time is long overdue for all victims of Roman Catholic Clergy abuse to have their day in court! JUSTICE DELAYED is JUSTICE DENIED! The protection and welfare of children SHOULD BE the concern of everyone in society, and is embraced in what Christ said was the 2nd greatest commandment, namely, “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matt. 22:39b)
- Quote: Benedict XVI, May 11, 2010
The pope's words are found to be both empty and hollow so long as the bishops . . the pope's operatives .. do all in their power to obstruct and deny justice to the victims of Roman Catholic Clergy Abuse! The time has come to end statutes of limitation for childhood sexual abuse so that those abused by Roman Catholic clerics can have their long-awaited day in court! Time for the VICTIMS to name and shame the predator priests and bullying bishop in open court. The time is long overdue for the voice of the victims to be heard above the self-righteous and sanctimonious cacophony of the unrepentant Roman Cathholic hierarchy. Time for the VICTIMS to come out of the closet in which they so long cowered in silent agony. Time for the world to hear of the forgotten children and their harrowing stories of degradation, humiliation, and shame! Time to tell the world of the forgotten children, whose harrowing stories of degradation, humiliation, shame, pain, suffering and sorrow cry unto Heaven above for JUSTICE and REDRESS! Ex. 22:22-23: “Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise, and they cry at all unto me, I will surely hear their cry“
Your true colors appear in spite of your efforts to hide them.
Ken