"All sorts of people have all sorts of motives, but the fact is that the pressthe journalistic establishment in the U.S. and Europehas been the best friend of the Catholic Church on this issue. Let me repeat that: The press has been the best friend of the Catholic Church on the scandals because it exposed the story and made the church face it. The press forced the church to admit, confront and attempt to redress what had happened. The press forced them to confess. The press forced the church to change the old regime and begin to come to terms with the abusers. The church shouldn’t be saying j’accuse but thank you," - Peggy Noonan, WSJ, April 2, 2010. Dreher seconds.
Noonan's inability to process the fact that Pope John Paul II was integral to the scandal, and personally complicit in covering up or denying the crimes of Marcial Maciel, is just her version of "keep in walking" with respect to George W. Bush. Once you buy into the logic of authority, it is extremely hard to question its abuse. But raped children at least beat tortured Muslims in her universe of acceptable accountability.