Catholic Diocese: Give us our freedom!

Freedom of religion is an important value in American society, right?

This week, if you're the Catholic Diocese of Burlington, apparently freedom of religion means the freedom to rape little boys with impunity.

It's hard to believe, but that's exactly what they're arguing. According to the Burlington Free Press, in a brief filed in the United States District Court this week, here's what they say: “The State cannot infringe on a protected freedom by imposing damages and penalties that the church cannot pay,” . . .

“If the protections of the First Amendment are to mean anything, the government should not be allowed to shut the doors of a church and put it up for sale,” church lawyers Kaveh Shahi and Tom McCormick wrote.

Yes, you read that right: if they are required to pay damages to the victims of their criminal conspiracy to cover up rapes by their employees, and to move their employees around to where they could rape more victims, that would be a violation of their freedom of religion.

In the view of their lawyers, making the church pay damages is taking away the right of Catholics to practice their religion.

Is it just me, or does this seem to put the Catholic seal of approval on child rape to an unprecedented degree?

Color me unsympathetic.