Where will you send your child to school?
Chances are that that question, at this stage in many of your lives, has never crossed your mind. The thought of having kids is probably just as far off. For many of you, however, that question will lead to one of the most significant choices you make as a parent.
Several factors come into play: Public or private school, Catholic or Protestant, the navy or the army? Majority of parents, however, must choose between public and Catholic schools. Before, the main debate came to fruition based on each parent’s religious beliefs. If the father was Jewish and the mother was Catholic, a very difficult compromise had to be made.
New information about priests molesting young boys had bombarded television news programs, newspapers and magazines such as Time and Newsweek.
The case for today’s parents, as well as tomorrow’s, who are pushing for a public school education for their child, just got stronger.
But do these facts hinder the education that a private (religious) school has to offer? For as many cases we are hearing about priests who have been charged with molestation, there are many, many more happening outside of the church, something that the news media is shying away from. Why? Because it makes a better story.
What about the validity of some of the claims being made against priests? Some people are “stepping forward” 30 or 40 years after the event supposedly occurred. Are they grabbing onto the molestation bandwagon trying to catch a few dollars that are falling off the front cart?
Schools of religious origin are feeling the heat of these claims. Some of them are true, but not all of the schools and parishes are guilty of each other’s crimes.
Parting shot: Not all priests are perverts and not all priests are gay.
This editorial was chosen by a vote of 6-2
