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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 9, 2002)
Aggielife The Battalion Page 3 • Sins of the Father Local Catholics affected by recent events, do not lose their faith in the church By Denise Schoppe THE BATTALION The Catholic Church is one of the largest organizations in the world. Millions follow the religion in America, and it has ties to dozens of other countries. Each follower considers other members as their broth ers or sisters. Along with the conventional idea of family, when one church member is hurt, all are hurt. In January, a sex scandal was uncovered within the Catholic Church. The Archdiocese of Boston had moved known pedophiles between parishes. Allegedly, the priests continued to abuse children. One such priest, John Geoghan, was convicted of indecent assault and battery of 130 children and sentenced to nine to 10 years in prison. Since then, four U.S. bishops have stepped down due to sexual abuse allegations and approx imately 250 priests have resigned. Scandals in Europe, Africa, Canada and Australia have also forced bishops to resign. Even Catholics that have no direct involvement in the scandal have been affected. According to Mike Sis, pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in College Station, this is affecting College Station as well as the nation. “The first effect I’ve seen is an undermining of people’s confidence in bishops,” Sis said. In 2001, new guidelines were issued directing bishops to inform Rome of allegations of abuse by a priest. Before that time, practices on how to handle abusers varied from diocese to diocese. For the past two years, the Diocese of Austin, the diocese within which College Station falls, has been working on its own policies regarding how to handle such cases. The policy, entitled “Ethics and Integrity in Ministry,” was published in August 2001. “Catholics in this area are realizing the timeli ness of our diocesan policy,” Sis said. “It was writ ten before this happened and is extremely stringent.” He went on to describe the policy as proactive instead of reactive. In a question and answer column in The Catholic Spirit magazine, Austin Diocese Bishop Gregory Aymond explained that the policies are very specific. “not only regarding sexual abuse but also regarding verbal abuse, sex ual harassment, physical abuse and any behavior that would not give respect and reverence to the individual.” Respect is something Sis says he’s seen a lot of local ly, from Catholics as well as non-Catholics, following the news of the scandal. “I’ve seen a ground swell of support for local priests,” Sis says. “I work on a regular basis with clergy of other faiths and they have commented to me that this is not only within the Catholic Church.” Will Lloyd, junior general studies major, said he feels it is a big, but not new, problem. “I don’t believe only Catholic priests have suffered from this,” Lloyd said. “I feel half of this tragedy is because it is the Catholic Church, which is a big media personality.” The problem dates back to 1984, when the first case of child molestation by a priest was reported. Reverend Gilbert Bauthe in Louisiana pleaded guilty to molesting 1 1 boys and victimizing dozens more. The case went on to accuse 19 priests of abuse. However, as easy as it is to report the tangible facts of the scandal, it is harder to show the personal, intangible reaction to the events. “In the hearts of some people I have observed a deep anger,” Sis said. “[Perhaps it] touched on some anger in their past. It reminded them of those old hurts.” As the hurt of the scandal lies within the church, many Catholics have remained silent in regards to it. “We’ve kept quiet,” Lloyd said. “Why talk about it when the media is doing that? Most of us just realize it will eventually blow over or there will be a new Catholic target for them to focus on.” Even as the media focuses its attention on the church, Lloyd says that people outside the Catholic Church do not seem to have any reaction towards Catholics about the scandal. As the scandals continue to affect Catholics and non-Catholics, the core lead ers of the religion are working to prevent the problem from happening again. Bishops from around the United States met in Dallas on Thursday June 13, to create a policy to stop the crime from happening again and deal with the crimes already committed. While the bishops worked. Catholics watched and waited as the media continued to report every move of the church leaders. “It’s sad its happening and one day it will die down again,” Lloyd said. “Until then, we put hope into the teachings and pray for for- adrian calcaneo • the battalion giveness and atonement.” ^ 1,2, 3 & 4 Bedroom Apartments P Furnished & Unfurnished P Awesome lease Specials P ZERO Deposit P ZERO Application Fee ^ $150 Cash to you* p 111 starting at $450/person P 3/3 starting at $405/person p ^1 starting at $ 365/person P FREE High Speed Internet P FREE Basic Cable P FREE Monitored Alarm Service** P Individual leases P 10 & 12 Month Lease Options P Full Size Washer/Dryer P Microwave Included P Refrigerator w/lcemaker P Elegant 9' Ceilings P Ceiling Fan w/Light in each Bdrm P 24 Hour Fitness Center ^24 Hour Billiards Room ^24 Hour Multi-Media Center P1 Swimming Pools p Spacious Tanning Deck P Oversized Jacuzzi P Lighted Sand Volleyball Court P Basketball Court ft BBQ Grills ^ Stand Up Tanning Bed ^ATM Machine On Site ^SUH Cares Program ^Monthly Resident Functions ^Roommate Matching ft Private Bedrooms ft Private Bathrooms Available ft Individual Bedroom Locks ft Professional On-Site Management ft Community Assistants ft 24 Hour Emergency Maintenance ft On TAMU Bus Route ft Just Blocks from Kyle Field ft Outside Storage Monthly Drawing for FREE RENT* 117 Holleman Dr, West College Station www.sulivillage.coin An 8UH« Community SUH» It t trademark of SUM, Inc. tsJ Revised e/20/02 ’Haitiloaena Apply “Pnaee l Only Office Hours: 0-6 IVlon-Fri 10-5 Sat a-5 Sun IHflJNG UMVSKHY 919/696-5711 Experience The Townhomes At Canyon Creek Open House every Wednesday during New Studeilt Conferences 9:00 am - 6:00 pm. 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