I was speaking with a friend who is a teacher at Penn State. Hearing the fatigue in her voice, the pain of the situation that has impacted so many in her classes and her life, it reminds me that in the realm of childhood sexual abuse, there are no winners. And in addition to the pain of the victims, there is much collateral damage in a situation as public as this.
Many have compared the situation at Penn State to that of the Catholic Church. My friend reminded me of the key difference in the two scenarios. While the institutions share the scourge of pedophelia, heads rolled at Penn State. Consequences were meted out to those in authority who covered up the alleged abuse. We Catholics are still waiting.
I pray that we never have to hear about another sexual crime perpetrated on a child, but I know that's unrealistic. So the best we can hope for is cover-ups to be uncovered, injustices to be made just and those who are abused to find healing.
Indeed.
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