I also suspect that the RCC has been used to dealing with pederastic priests for no small time now, and the Curia thus took the problem for granted in a way that made them see the media coverage, not the crimes themselves, as the threat to be addressed.

Let's hope the new Pope has the courage and faith to make strong pronouncements on these abuses.

MA AG Tom Reilly stated he had no basis to file charges eventhough he received a lot of criticism to do so. There were never any charges filed or plans to file.

He also shows how little he understands the Christian view of God's sovereignty over all things. He's assuming God would never want someone elected pope for a very short time. I can think of half a dozen different potential reasons God might have wanted this, and anyone who can't either hasn't tried or simply isn't creative enough.

It's interesting that people won't mention the abuse scandal, whereas hardly anyone was content to do nothing but praise Reagan when he died. There always had to be some tagline mentioning his critics or pointing out that he wasn't as popular when he was president as he was later. I haven't heard one negative comment in the major press so far, not even a criticism of some of his more conservative views.

I disagree with the silly notion that somehow it's immoral to mention negative things about someone right after their death. How does it make a difference to them? Somehow you have to respect the dead right after they die, but you can say as offensive things as you want two weeks later? When you remember someone, why not remember how the person really was? I'm not sure I agree fully with your assessment of him, and I'm not even sure the RCC hasn't done something. I don't know the facts, really. Still, those who insist that now isn't the right time to raise these questions just seem to me to be inventing a moral principle out of thin air. I'm sure John Paul II would want people seeking the truth rather than seeking t bury it in the name of some silly idea that you can't raise serious questions about someone (or even about something associated with that someone) when reflecting on the legacy of that person's just-completed life.

What's most bewildering is that most of the media and mourners (including R.Cs) currently fellating his cooling corspe do not subscribe to any of the "Great One's" most dogamtic teacherings.

Hey Folks! You keep screaming for HEROS and GREAT LEADERS. You promise to put reason and morality aside if only a Powerful Man-Father will touch your empty modern lives. Keep calling and they will come...and with them an ocean of blood and tears.

There remains much to be done, yes -- but he had to leave something for his successors to do...

James Joyner over at Outside the Beltway has expanded on a discussion about what we...

Although I disagree with how the church dealt with the issue of priests abusing children, I just don't know that now is the time or the place to lay it all at his feet, and I am not even sure how much it should be layed at his feet. Maybe somebody who is Catholic and understands how much oversight the Pope has over these issues can elaborate more.

What an ignorant post!