Today’s USA TODAY includes an interesting article titled "How much ‘truth’ is too much?" written by Rod Dreher. The article addresses the impact of the Roman Catholic Church’s sex abuse sandal on the life of the author, who investigated and wrote about it.
Readers who know me know that our firm filed the two successful cases against the Nashville Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church. We were associated in the cases by John Hollins, Jr. I will not go into details, but suffice it to say that these two cases changed my life, and not in a positive way. I continue to struggle with conduct of the Church in those cases, actions that I did not believe would be even possible from those affillated with any respectable church. Perhaps I was naive, but unlike most times in my life the education I received has had more negative consequences than positive.
Like the author, I disagree with the concept expressed by Father Richard John Neuhaus, who is reported as having said "[t]here are things [Catholics] really don’t want to know about their church." Like the author, there are times I wish I had not looked under the rock. And, like the author, I sometimes wonder "[h]ow much reality must we choose to ignore for the greater good of our own souls, and society?"
I still fall on the side on transparency, of shining the light under rocks, but am forced to agree that I sometimes wonder whether the price paid for transparency is too high.