In an article about how the lawyers are preparing for a global settlement of abuse lawsuits in Boston, we read that lawyer Mitchell Garabedian said 60 to 70 new victims have come to him in recent weeks. That raises some questions.
I suppose it’s possible that even after a year of daily news coverage, some people may have been in deep denial and are only now getting the courage to come forward. But how many people are being motivated by the idea that in a rush to settlement the niggling details may be overlooked and they could get a nice fat kiss in the mail in the form of a check? Come on, look at our society—you can’t tell me that there aren’t sleazebags out there salivating at the opportunity.
So what are the checks and balances? In the rush to settlement is anyone checking the veracity of the claims? Who’s protecting the interests of potentially innocent priests? Who’s protecting the interests of the million of lay Catholics who are the Church in Boston?
