Dear Editor-in-Chief,

On April 1, 2010, The Clarion Call printed a political cartoon that was aimed to start a discussion about the abuses within the Catholic Church. However, the cartoon was poorly done, portraying all Catholic priests as child abusers which contributes to a stereotype that ignores their constructive service and personal sacrifice on behalf of society. Ridicule and shame do not shed any light on a terrible abuse that has been dealt with by U.S. bishops in a decisive manner. Since our bishops adopted a “zero tolerance” policy for clergy abusers, the U.S. Catholic Church has learned the huge importance of reaching out to and healing victims of this horrific crime. Our main focus should be on the victims, offering channels of healing and ensuring that no one else is victimized. The Catholic Church is learning from its past mistakes and doing what it can to rectify the situation, both in the U.S. and globally.

Within our local Diocese of Erie, the “Child Protection” policy mandated by the U.S. Catholic Bishops requires a Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Record check on all parish and institutional staff, priests and volunteers, as well as a Pa. Department of Welfare Child Abuse History Clearance; regular audits continue this vigilance. Through transparency and accountability, Catholics aggressively fight this immoral threat to our most vulnerable members. Sadly, The Clarion Call’s cartoon distorts and calumniates these efforts and adds nothing to the debate. According to the Library of Congress, the point of a political cartoon is to persuade the reader; the only thing that the cartoon in The Call persuaded readers of is to believe all gross stereotypes of priests and to believe that the church is completely silent on the issue (behind the altar boys was an empty church, which I suppose is a symbol of the church ignoring the issue). Unfortunately, that is simply wrong, for all the reasons stated above.

The Newman Association

Kayla Baker, President

Fr. Jan Olowin, Campus Minister