Over at DotCommonweal, the estimable Grant Gallicho takes up a cudgel
on behalf of the doctrine of scandal. Yes it’s true, he allows, that
the doctrine has been abused by bishops to protect their own.

But it is within the teaching itself that Catholics might find a way
through this slough. Because scandalizers are required to make
reparations for their offenses. That’s something the archbishop of
Dublin understood when he prostrated himself in front of a bare altar
before washing the feet of abuse victims.

Fair enough: If you cause scandal you are obliged to make amends. But
here’s the problem. In the course of day-to-day ecclesiastical business
the issue arises when there’s a choice between revealing some bad thing
(and causing scandal) or not (and avoiding it). Now it could be judged
that worse scandal would result if the shielding itself became public,
as has happened (and continues to happen, viz. Philadelphia) in the Church’s sexual abuse crisis.

But such future scandal is hypothetical, as compared to the certainty of
scandal if the revelation takes place now. The temptation to take one’s
chances with the former is all too great. Worse, the whole calculus is
faulty. It makes the minimizing of scandal the key consideration. In
protecting their own, the bishops were guilty first and foremost of
failing to punish abuse and thereby enabling more abuse, not causing a
greater scandal.

Judaism–and I know some of Bill Donohue’s followers will appreciate
this–itself has a doctrine similar to scandal. It’s called lashon hara (evil
tongue), and treats as a serious sin the publicizing of true
information that reflects badly on someone. Like scandal, it has given
religious leaders a reason to engage in ugly cover-ups of bad behavior
by clergy.

But unlilke scandal, it comes with a critical exception. It does not
apply if the information is needed to protect a third party or the
community at large. If the doctrine of scandal were amended to include
such an exception, I’d be down with it.

Update: Here’s what a bishop (unnamed, to be sure) appointed by Pope Benedict told Rocco in re: Philadelphia.

Instead of being overly cautious to protect children from any possible
further harm and the church from further scandal, they let these guys
back into ministry. Now the scandal is amplified ten-fold because it
looks like it is the same old church and the same old leadership doing
what it has always done in the past.

Not to put too fine a point on it.