It has become obvious that Pope Benedict XVI will lose total respect for himself, his position and the Catholic Church if he doesn’t follow his conscience, stop listening to inept advisers and do what is ­morally and legally correct about the pedophilia that has flown under the radar of public scrutiny and escaped the “long arm” of the law for so long.

Shuttling clergy (proven guilty) from parish to parish, diocese to diocese, state to state and continent to continent is a clear dereliction of duty and a shameful and callous affront to all victims and parents. The church hierarchy should realize the serious consequences of the illegal act of aiding and abetting.

Ultimately, the pope is responsible for the moral and legal actions of the “rank and file” in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. His recent meetings with the victims and their families to express shame, sorrow and remorse, along with guilt-driven promises to dispense justice in the future, are mere insignificant “mea culpas” and not indicative of a determined decision to “pull out all the stops.” His recent meetings with sex-abuse victims were conducted with no clear plan for exorcising this evil.

So where are the legal authorities? Must they be reminded that those acts are illegal and therefore obligate the justice system to ­investigate, prosecute and imprison the guilty? Their complicit “Don’t look, don’t arrest, don’t cause ­trouble” is an old “Pontius Pilate” ploy that leaves the bad guys to freely further their cause with no fear of retribution.

This crime against society is so widespread, so heinous, so contemptible and so ignored that we can only hope the media will continue to front-page this scandal until the church and the law combine forces to eradicate this stigmata from the integrity of both.

Harvey Thibodeau

Pinehurst