To the Editor:

The most disgusting thing about the Catholic sexual abuse scandal is that anyone would betray such a sacred trust so horribly. The second most disgusting thing is the great glee some people take in seeing the Catholic Church shamed that way.

The church has suffered over this for many years. We have gone to great lengths to make reparations to the victims and insure that it doesn’t happen again.

Apparently someone couldn’t wait to see American Catholics rejoicing happily with their pope and decided to open barely healed wounds and rub salt in them by making that disgusting cartoon you printed on the Saturday, April 19, editorial page.

Pope Benedict has taken unprecedented steps to reach out to and comfort the victims. That cartoon placing a slimy, practicing pedophile in his entourage was despicable. If it were an intelligent discussion of the issue it would be different, but there is no excuse for this disgusting cartoon.

Sincerely,

Dianne Hofmann,

Lawrence