Peter Hitchens Lays Out The Case Against the Roman Catholic Church:

Hitches writes,

Let's go through the case as it stands in general.

Did Roman Catholic priests engage in abuse of children? Yes.

Were these crimes sometimes covered up? Yes.

Does the Church admit this? Yes.

Does anything in Roman Catholic theology or belief mandate or excuse such behaviour? No.

Is the RC Church the only institution in which such abuse has taken place? No.

Have the transgressors been punished and have steps been taken to prevent them having renewed opportunities to transgress? Yes, though not as swiftly as it should have been, some are now beyond the reach of the law, or dead.

Has the Church admitted that it was at fault? Yes, unequivocally and repeatedly.

Have steps been taken to prevent a repetition? Yes.

Has the current Pope in any way condoned the crimes? No.

Has he repeatedly and explicitly condemned them and those who failed to act against them? Yes.

So what I want to know, in detail, is what those who now call for the prosecution of the Pope specifically allege against him?

From the Mail on Sunday, April 19, 2010 (emphasis mine).

Grading Exams

I'm grading my students' mid-term exams. I remember writing my first student paper. When the professor handed it back it looked like he had bled on it, as it was so covered in red pen marks. I think I received a "C" or a "B-". All but one of my grades that freshman year was a "B-". I think that's what gentlemen got for just showing up.

As mine isn't an English class, I'm trying to be generous and to understand that this may be their first sustained piece of writing.