How to make the sexual abuse problem worse

As I blogged yesterday, attempts to deal with the serious problem of sexual abuse by Catholic priests have generated a new problem - what to do about false accusations. Unfortunately, the very group [The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests] that is seeking to attain justice for abuse victims is also helping to generate the very climate in which false accusations will increase.

SNAP arguing that "blind loyalty to the church" is keeping people from coming forth with knowledge of abuse, is urging that a fund be set up to reward "whistle blowers". Unfortunately, those who indeed have a "blind loyalty" to the church are not likely to speak up simply because they might get money for it - that is the very nature of "blind loyalty". On the other hand, those who are unscrupulous and greedy will be much more likely to make false accusations in the hopes of getting some of this reward money.

How can justice be served in this way? The guilty still are not punished but the innocent suffer.