Bullies

The Catholic hierarchy, this time in Pennsylvania:

Advocates for clergy sex abuse victims in Pennsylvania are claiming that lobbying and intimidation tactics by the Roman Catholic Church will result in lawmakers either diluting or defeating a bill that would let victims sue for crimes that occurred decades ago, Philly.com reports Saturday.

They've gotten heavy-handed about it, too.

“A lot of the members would tell you responses have been nothing short of threats to claims of betraying their faith,” Rep. Nick Miccarelli, a Republican and Catholic, told the publication. . . .

Rep. Martina White, a first-term Republican, supported the bill in the House — and the Church retaliated. She was told she would no longer be welcome at some events in her district.

“When you think of the Catholic Church, you think of acceptance and forgiveness and a community that’s available to you,” White, who attended Catholic school as a child, told Philly.com while choking back tears. “Being disinvited, you feel cut off.”

I really can't think of words to describe my reaction to this. Given, that the Church hierarchy is, on the whole, tremendously self-centered, and given that the first priority of any institution is to protect its prerogatives, this goes beyond blatant. We've seen its like before --in Boston, when Massachusetts legalized recognition of same-sex marriage, and in Illinois, when suddenly Catholic Charities, which was originally structured to allow it to accept state money without violating the First Amendment, became a "religious organization."

This is choice:

Philly.com reports that while victims and advocates support the measure, the Catholic Church has been vocally opposed. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput called it “unfair” and financially destructive to dioceses and harmful to church members who played to role in the abuse cases.

Maybe if the Church hadn't spent so much money opposing same-sex marriage, and equal civil rights for gays and lesbians in general, it wouldn't be feeling the crunch.