A desperate Vatican attacks the messengers

Playing out in the international media today is a PR variation on the old story about killing the messenger of bad news.

In this case the media messengers are being lambasted in an effort to undercut and diffuse the continuing exposé of rampant pedophilia among Roman Catholic clergy and the Church's efforts to hide it.

A complicit, defensive Vatican is trying to redirect news coverage so that the focus is not on these horrific crimes and cover-ups. Instead, the Vatican's wants the story to be about a “Godless,” “secular” media, whose evil motive is to bring down the Roman Catholic Church.

Never mind that thousands of children have been victimized by priests. Never mind that their heinous acts have been covered up, forgiven (ah, the power of confession) only to be committed again. Never mind that the Church hierarchy, including the Pope himself, has been party to this outrage.

Now the Church leadership continues its implicit denial by creating a fabricated story about media motives.

The press should not be cowed. Its spotlight (and the world's) should remain fixed on the Roman Catholic Church and its insulated, arrogant, patently fallible, medieval, sexist, hypocritical hierarchy. (Did I miss anything?)

The story should progress to outraged Catholic laity and reformist priests and nuns who condemn this outrage and are determined to take over their church.

No, this story isn’t about secular media, as evil messengers of bad news; it’s about decency, equality and justice.

It’s about an archaic institution in dire need of sweeping, radical reform.