Business & Professional Ethics 7th Edition by Leonard Brooks,Paul Dunn

Exercise 44

In January of 2002, the Boston Globe began a series of articles reporting that Fr. John Geoghan, had been transferred from one parish to another in the Archdiocese of Boston, even though senior Church officials knew that he was a pedophile. There was outrage among parishioners that archdiocesan administrators, including Cardinal Bernard Law, could be complacent about Fr. Geoghan's behavior while he was being relocated to various parishes. The message being sent was that "abusive priests mattered more than innocent children." Anger among Boston Catholics led to the formation of Voice of the Faithful, a grassroots movement among concerned Catholics in the Boston area that quickly spread to becoming an international movement. Their call was simple: Keep the Faith, Change the Church. Their plea was eventually heard. Cardinal Law resigned and Fr. Geoghan was sent to prison where he died. But the problem of sexual abuse by the clergy became a worldwide scandal. Abuses were reported in various countries around the world. In Canada it concerned children who were at the Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland. In Ireland, the allegations were so severe that Pope Benedict XVI had a special team of Cardinals investigate the matter. In March of 2010, the Pope issued an apology to the Catholics of Ireland. He acknowledged that serious mistakes had been made by the clergy, and recommended that "no effort should be spared in improving and updating existing procedures," so that this would not reoccur. For some the apology was enough, while other Catholics called for the Pope's resignation.
If unethical or illegal behavior occurs within a business enterprise, how can employees bring about change when initial reports are ignored?