Letter from America

'The moral authority of the Catholic Church is in jeopardy', Bishop Gregory reported that he said to the pope and other senior prelates at the Vatican, before the Pope's summons of the American bishops to a crisis conference.

It's hard not to agree with Bishop Gregory. The recent sex scandals in the Roman church must have dented its credibility. Paedophilia and piety do not make good bedfellows. What's more, there is some extraordinary blindness in this. One local priest got himself on a news radio programme and said that this scandal was not as bad as it seemed because often the victims were over 10 years old. Older children, he explained, recovered more quickly.

It seems undeniable that the Roman Catholic church in New England, and perhaps right across America, has covered up paedophilia scandals for years. It has, it seems, simply shipped priests accused of abuse from one parish to another in order to cover their tracks - and I suppose to give the priest a second chance, but without warning the new parish, or any public recognition of the sin. Teary-eyed parents appear lamenting the deep psychological wounds that their children have had, as they are only just now realising that the cause of this was abuse, as their child weeps before the TV when the face of an accused priest appears.

Religious slaves

It's hard not to agree with Bishop Gregory. Hopefully, he's right, but I suspect he might not be. Talking to local Catholics they seem fairly blase about the issue. 'It's not our priest,' they say.

One of the endearing fascinations of New England is the quirky fact that many of its inhabitants are Roman Catholic. You have to know New England to appreciate this, but the idea of New Englanders - perhaps the most independent-minded people on the face of the earth - kissing the ring of a bishop and bowing to Papal bulls is remarkable. An ex-Catholic, now a Baptist deacon, simply explained: 'It's because they're religious slaves.' Families, particularly Italian Catholic families, exert such a strong influence that attendance at mass en masse is de rigeur and escape from Catholicism verboten and unthinkable. There is astonishing ignorance none-the-less. Catholics here seem to know almost nothing about the Bible at all. One was reportedly deeply offended to find that the 'Our Father' prayer ('The Lord's Prayer') was actually in the Bible: 'But that's our (the Catholic) prayer; how can it be in your Bible?'

There is ignorance, confusion, gross immorality, all at the same time as unwavering commitment - if not attendance - to the Catholic Church.

Paedophilia and piety

Religious slaves

Here's hoping Bishop Gregory is right.

Josh Moody, Connecticut

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