The attempt to suspend the statute of limitations for victims of sexual abuse died without a whimper in the State House in Albany where it was being championed by Queens Assemblywoman Marge Markey and a concerted campaign by the New York Daily News. The proposal was bad law and was made even worse by the effects it would have had on the mission of the Church.

In a last ditch effort to push the bill, a preposterous Daily News headline claimed that the Bishop of Brooklyn once tried to bribe Markey to forget about this legislation.

Further investigation showed that Markey had several details of the meeting with the bishop wrong. Faulty memory – which exactly supports the case for the necessity for having statutes of limitations, especially for such a serious charge.

This phony legislative battle has done nothing but distract people from serious assisting the victims of sexual abuse. The Church, more than anyone else, has been making reforms to assure that such monstrous acts never occur again. That’s more than can be said for public institutions where the scourge is much more prevalent.

The Daily News, not willing to focus on the real issues here, published an editorial calling on Cardinal Dolan and Bishop DiMarzio to open their hearts to the victims of sexual abuse.

We call upon the editorial writers of the Daily News to open their minds to the senseless campaign it has begun, to recognize the role that its own “reporting” had in killing the legislation, and to get over the obsession of attacking the Church so we all can embark on uncovering the deeper problem of sexual abuse of minors in the larger society.

The Church is well on its way to healing the wounds of these awful acts. It is a long-term process but the journey is underway.