O. C. Register and the Orange Diocese

The Orange County Register's opinion pages today contains lots of criticism, in an opinion piece by opinion writer Steve Greenhut and in letters to the editor, of the local diocese of the Roman Catholic Church and Bishop Tod D. Brown. Greenhut and some letter writers chastise the diocese and Brown over lack of openness. In particular, they argue that Bishop Brown should have disclosed earlier that he once was accused of abusing a child in the 1970s.

Fair enough but the bishop's and the diocese's critics ought to be even handed. Greenhut ought to reveal his relationship with the Catholic Church and the identity of his sources. A principal Greenhut source is plaintiff attorney John Manley. Manley ought to disclose how much he has been paid representing plaintiffs in lawsuits against the church. Criticizing the church has become a cottage industry. Those who are making a living doing this ought to come clean.