words? That's a good question for our bishops, don't you think?
Some make words mean whatever they say they mean - like Humpty Dumpty in Alice and Wonderland. So child rape and abuse become "horseplay," "boundary violations," and "inappropriate behavior." Their word manipulation reminds me of Screwtape advising his "nephew" Wormwood. I can just hear the bishop's conversation with the diocesan lawyer, safe-touch coordinator, and communications director.
Bishop: We need a strategy for shifting the conversation away from homosexuality.
Lawyer: Keep talking about all the procedures in place for protecting children and how successful they are. We have the volunteers signing agreements making them mandatory reporters. If there's an incident we can blame it on them.
Com. Director: I'll stress the problem of clericalism with the press and emphasize how heroic your response has been to the crisis.
