Author: Andrew Sullivan

A reader writes:

Like you, Andrew, I was raised in the Catholic Church, and I still revere and hold dear its core teachings of Christ.  I had 12 years of good Catholic schooling – tough and disciplined. In my junior year of high school I went to the priest at my high school for 'counseling' as I was feeling depressed with some life events.  After the 3rd or 4th visit, he molested me.

I went into absolute shock and denial and couldn't move. But once I realized what he was doing, I snapped to reality and ran from his office.  His attempts at groping at my breasts ended there.  I shudder to think how far he would have gone if I hadn't done that.  I was one of the lucky ones.

No, I didn't tell anyone. Not my parents, not my friends, other family members nor the school authorities.  I instinctively knew that he must have done or tried to do the same thing with other girls. True, I was 16 y/o.  But I was an impressionable, naive, innocent virginal child of those times and that age.  I trusted this priest with my whole heart. Him abusing that trust is abominable.

No one is asking the question… what about the girls??? I am somewhat offended at this disregard by the media and other commentators, but glad to see you mention it on your blog.  I suspect if and when that door is pried open, a veritable abyss will open up as well.  Not every priest was attracted to young boys, many were attracted to young girls.

Top this one, Leon:

Pope Benedict XVI's personal preacher on Friday likened accusations against the pope and the Catholic church in the sex abuse scandal to "collective violence" suffered by the Jews. The Rev. Raniero Cantalamessa said in a Good Friday homily with the pope listening in St. Peter's Basilica that a Jewish friend wrote to him to say the accusations remind him of the "more shameful aspects of anti-Semitism."

Four dudes act like their girlfriends. Totes LOL:

George Packer updates us on the political situation in Burma. The junta's election laws made Aung San Suu Kyi ineligible for office. (Suu Kyi has lead the most important opposition party in Burma for twenty years.) The opposition responded by boycotting:

Once again, Burma and the world are moving in opposite directions. The U.S. might be ready to seek a compromise with the regime, but the regime is still doing what it does best: by its own brutal rigidity, forcing the opposition into a rigid and, perhaps, a self-defeating response.

From Calculated Risk:

According to the [Bureau Of Labor Statistics], there are a record 6.55 million workers who have been unemployed for more than 26 weeks (and still want a job). This is a record 4.3% of the civilian workforce. (note: records started in 1948)

Philip Pullman responds to a question about whether the title of his new book, The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, is offensive to Christians. It's a wonderfully brisk defense of free speech in this fundamentalist age:

And they both helped bring Obamacare to Massachusetts. A memoir from Karen Tumulty.

"They want 'blow jobs' first [in the press sense]. Then you have to be on good behavior for a bit or be willing to deal, and then you get access," – a White House reporter on how the Obama press operation works.

A reader writes:

As you'll recall, a fellow member of my state, Oklahoma, sued in February over his right to have the phrase "IM GAY" as his license plate. I'm saddened to inform you that the man, Keith Kimmel, has died. The official reason of death is unconfirmed as of yet, but signs so far point to suicide.

I don't agree with homosexuality. I'll state that. But it does sicken me that people can be driven to such extremes because of who they are.

I'll be damned if I don't support the rights of gays to be a person. And people should never have to live in a world that treats them as the gay community is treated. What the hell is wrong with us? I hope for a day when people can be loved no matter their color, religion, or sexual orientation. I'm 23 years old and I don't believe I will see it in my lifetime. But, I will know hope. I think that will be my generations mark of this country and possibly the world. We believe in hope. Sometimes it seems as if that's all we have.

My apologies for droning on. My friends and family wouldn't understand my talking about this. That's just the place I live in.

A more extensive news report here. Money quote:

Kimmel also said that when he complained about pain, officers remarked that they were "experts at putting people in their place without leaving marks. They train us on that."