Shouldn’t eternal salvation equate with eternal liability?

Apparently not. From CNN:

A bill in Connecticut’s legislature that would remove the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse cases has sparked a fervent response from…

Can you guess? No, really… what organization can you think of might be threatened by such a change in law? The International Congress of Kids and Youth and Pedophile Priests (ICKY P P)? Nope. Pedophiles United (PU) ? Not them, either… at least, not publicly. The fervent response comes from…

…the state’s Roman Catholic bishops, who released a letter to parishioners Saturday imploring them to oppose the measure. The Catholic archdiocese of Hartford also published a pulpit announcement on its Web site, which was to be read during Mass on Sunday, urging parishioners to express opposition to the bill.

Who would have suspected? It must be because of the very high moral standards the church brings to bear on determining what kind of human behaviour is acceptable to god to ensure eternal salvation, right? Well, not quite.

The letter is posted on the Web site of the Connecticut Catholic Public Affairs Conference, the public policy and advocacy office of Connecticut’s Catholic bishops. It asks parishioners to contact their legislators in opposition of the bill.

And I’m so relieved that the church uses its pulpit to minister to eternally vital spiritual matters rather than cross the line into actively interfering with dirty secular matters like law and governance. But we can always count on the church to do what’s morally right and respect the separate but equal magisteria over which it claims to have divinely sanctioned dominion… ministering to the spiritual needs of its flock and thus worthy of public tax exemption for its selfless work. Yup, the church has a separate, morally higher, area of concern and expertise altogether. It’s a spiritual institution, we must remember. Most of the time, that is. When it’s convenient to define it that way, like when faced with legitimate criticism for its earthly and repugnant official collusion with pedophiles in its ranks. When it officially participates in aiding and abetting criminal activity and attempts to justify its official policies to protect itself and its reputation at the expense of its victims by skirting behind the old defense of separate concerns than the secular, a separate magisteria. In other words, we really should trust them because they really do have their own best interests at heart which just so happens to be OUR best interests for eternal salvation. Funny coincidence, that.

The “legislation would undermine the mission of the Catholic Church in Connecticut, threatening our parishes, our schools, and our Catholic Charities,” the letter says.

Oh? How so?

The church’s concern is about frivolous abuse claims against it, according to Connecticut state Rep. Beth Bye, one of the bill’s sponsors. In other words, liability. Charges to have merit are only acceptable from people 48 years old and younger. At age 49, a claimant’s case becomes frivolous the church leadership assures us. Good to know. I’m so relieved this revelation has been granted to the catholic hierarchy who really knows a lot about these kinds of detailed matters pleasing to god. Not that the church has anything to worry about as far as protecting any elderly priests from prosecution for their sexual abuse of children from days gone by, of course. Perish the thought.