Letter: Put priests’ crimes in historical context?
Pope Francis celebrates Mass at the Vatican, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019. Pope Francis celebrated a final Mass to conclude his extraordinary summit of Catholic leaders summoned to Rome for a tutorial on preventing clergy sexual abuse and protecting children from predator priests. The Mass was celebrated Sunday in the Sala Regia, one of the grand, frescoed reception rooms of the Apostolic Palace. (Giuseppe Lami/Pool Photo via AP)
Monsignor M. Francis Mannion, in his May 6 letter, “Put the number of accused priests in historical context,” said the sexual abuses of the 120 priests named by the Archdiocese of New York go back to 1900, and that the number of priests working in the archdiocese since then is estimated at more than 6,000.
This is misleading. Few abuses were reported as having occurred before 1950. The vast majority of cases were from the 1950s to the early 1990s, according to a chart published by the archdiocese.
This does not mean there were only few abuses before 1950. It means earlier offenses were not disclosed because victims did not come forward and because the church’s international cover-up did not start coming undone until the late 1980s.
Examination of the data on the archdiocese’s web site might help put the crimes in historical context.
Robert Kuesterman, West Valley City
Submit a letter to the editor
sltrib.com is now free to access — no subscription required. We made this decision because we believe access to trustworthy, independent news shouldn’t depend on what you can afford — especially as misinformation and AI-generated content continue to rise.
Free to read doesn’t mean free to produce. Our reporters show up every day to ask hard questions and hold powerful institutions to account. That work takes resources. As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on support from people who believe it matters. Make a donation today to fund local news that serves Utah communities.
You can help us bring more local news to more communities today.