Boston Priests Accused of Child Sexual Abuse

Re “Reports of Priests’ Abuse Enrage Boston Catholics,” Feb. 9: That there are deviants galore in the Boston Archdiocese is no surprise to me. Thirty years ago, I taught psychology to high school seniors in two predominantly Catholic communities in the Boston area. For 10 years, I was a magnet for troubled kids--usually boys--struggling with issues of sexuality.

I was able to play a small part in helping the majority make the awkward transition from painful adolescence to acceptance and a healthy, productive adulthood. The kids I couldn’t help were the most seriously disturbed, with issues beyond mere sexual preference. Year after year, I watched in dismay as those kids chose the priesthood. As long as the Catholic Church insists on celibacy, the priesthood will continue to be a magnet for the sexually maladjusted, both gay and straight.

Virginia Cassara

Irvine

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What part of criminal behavior don’t Catholic churches in America get? Are they above the law?

In every other profession across America these child molesters would have gone to jail. Accessories to their crimes, such as their cardinals, would be held accountable as well.

What in God’s name, and I do not use the term loosely, were the parents of these abused children thinking? Why did they not go to the police?

Beverly Simons-Morse

Manhattan Beach