The Occasional Observer

and most of the MSM, but the first question that crosses my mind (and probably most Catholics) when we learn that there is a new Archbishop of New York, is not, "what is his record on sexual abuse and pedophilia?"

I don't want to minimize the suffering endured by those who were victimized, but there are other issues that are just as pertinent, and probably more so, to the average parishoner. Issues that require a new leader to help chart a course for his flock.

For instance, how will we, as a community, help our Catholic schools to persevere when the economic downturn and loss of vowed religious is impacting them so severely? How will we continue to make the lifeblood of the community, the sacraments, available even as the number of priests continues to shrink? How should we, as followers of Christ and his Church, try to teach our children the value of faithfulness and tradition, when they are growing up in a culture that glorifies consumerism, hedonism, and self-interest? How will we, as a community, seek to bring about more vocations? More communal interdependence and caring? How should we work together to oppose those who wish to continue treating unborn children as chattel, or marriage as a mere civil contract?

These are the issues that I care about. I know many Catholics who feel the same way. I get the feeling that Newsday's obsession with using the words "Sexual Abuse" in almost any headline that also contains "Church" has more to do with their own editorial agenda than it does a simple presentation of the facts. Otherwise, these other questions confronting the Catholic community would be getting equal coverage as well.