Predator

Gary Mercure used his position as a Catholic priest to gain the trust of young boys. And then he raped them. Now he’s going to prison, where he belongs.

What makes this worse is the shadowy involvement of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany who, it may be argued, did not do enough when they first heard allegations of Mercure’s crimes. Don’t know about you, but I’m not satisfied with their explanation.

So to prison he goes. Some will say he’s getting off easy.

In 2008, the Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty is an unconstitutional punishment for child rapists. Me? I tend to agree with President Obama, as cited in this 2008 NY Times story:

Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, said, “I think that the rape of a small child, 6 or 8 years old, is a heinous crime, and if a state makes a decision under narrow, limited, well-defined circumstances, that the death penalty is at least potentially applicable, that does not violate our Constitution.” He added that the Supreme Court should have set conditions for imposing the death penalty for the crime, “but it basically had a blanket prohibition, and I disagree with the decision.”

It’s tempting to compare Gary Mercure to an animal, a dangerous creature who deserves to be treated like a rabid dog. That would be wrong. A rabid dog does not understand the consequences of its actions.

6 thoughts on “Predator

  1. Shadowy is putting it mildly. They ignored what was going on. Saying that in 2000 they let it drop becasue the victim didn’t want to persue charges? That’s a complete cop-out. The church has a LONG history of looking out for its priests. Not so much the nuns; sadly, they’ve routinely been thrown under the bus by the church.

  2. I think he got what he deserved. These boys (now men) have lived 25 or so years of living hell and torment from what this animal did to them. At 62, he will likely live out his final days in prison, and that is perfect. Now maybe these men and their families can switch places with Mr. Mercure – they get to have their freedom back while his is taken away. It sickened me to see him taken out of the courtroom multiple times during the trial and sentencing with an s-eating grin plastered on his face. No remorse and no apology.

  3. How come the broadscale, systemic nature of sexual abuse behavior in the Catholic Church… and the fact more and more new cases come forth on a regular basis… doesn’t impact more Catholics?? I cannot forgive, or accept, what’s happened. Absolute hypocracy.

    1. Haven’t you listened to the church? All this is the fault of the NY Times.

      http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/dolan_gives_times_hell_3G2FTb4lBeSzMtfjzZVZ0N

      It’s deeply ironic that the church would assume a kill the messenger stance.

      Anyway, if Jesus were around today, he’d condemn the church bureaucracy, not embrace it. Do you think Jesus would allow anyone to kiss his ring or treat him like royalty? Would he live in a palace in Rome and be driven around in a bullet proof car?

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