Vatican summit on church sex abuse scandal nothing but a ruse

Over the past several weeks, local and national media have been infatuated with a ruse being perpetrated upon a gullible public. I am not referring to the Jussie Smollett saga, but to the “historic” sex abuse summit at the Vatican.

This summit was promulgated not by a crisis of consciousness or divine inspiration, but by the immense financial toll and social pressure that has been exerted upon the Catholic Church by victims’ advocacy groups and law enforcement agencies. The church has never once confessed to as-yet undiscovered crimes against children, nor should anyone expect it to ever do so.

Pope Francis waxes poetic about “transparency,” but that word means more than admitting guilt only after you’ve been caught. True salvation (for both victims and wrongdoers) will only come when the Vatican opens up its entire child sex abuse archives to unfettered secular scrutiny, releases those findings to the public, and then willingly accepts whatever legal and financial consequences come of it. Anything less would be un-Christian.

Justin B. Pripusich, Lisle

Cops in schools need calm and empathy

Matthew Hendrickson’s article on the student who was assaulted by Chicago police officers at Marshall High School points out an important concern. The article quotes the family’s attorney as saying “…there needs to be a better vetting system for police officers who work in schools.”

Every adult in a school must understand that his/her role is “in loco parentis” — that is, in place of parents. All of the adults working in CPS must be able to see the children in the school as their own, and behave accordingly. Would that officer have punched or Tasered his own daughter?

Another question is whether police officers, trained to deal with crime and criminals, are suitable candidates for employment in schools. At the least, they require special training for these very different situations.

I know times are somewhat different, but when I was a Hyde Park High School senior, I worked security during my free period. A 5’4″, 99 pound, 16-year-old girl, I was stationed outside the lunchroom. I respectfully insisted on the rules being followed and received respectful compliance. Even then, I knew showing aggression towards an upset person would be counter-productive. Calm and empathy are required. Police officers might consider my proven methods.

Muriel Balla, Hyde Park

Jussie Smollett should do some time

Now with Jussie Smollett being charged and arrested for filing a false police report (class 4 felony) with a fake hate crime, he should face some jail time when and if convicted.

He lied to the police and wasted hundreds of hours of police work/resources and cost the city thousands of dollars. So if people are going to prison for lying to Congress or the FBI, Smollett should face the same consequences for his actions.

John Moravecek, Naperville