A Holy Mystery

The man who apparently kidnapped an eleven-year-old girl, kept her prisoner for eighteen years, raped her and forced her to bear him two children "wanted to set up his own ministry of God"; and, of course, if he shows sufficient aptitude for self-publicity, he may yet succeed. He has already been interviewed on local radio, proclaiming that after the birth of his daughters, "I completely turned my life around. Wait 'til you hear the story of what took place at this house, you are going to be absolutely impressed." He does seem to have shown an impressive dedication to the girls' purity, protecting them from both medical interventionism and the perils of education. There probably isn't a Jehovah's Witness in the world who could claim better. Nevertheless, remarkably few clerics of any denomination have come forth to emphasise the good he did or to praise his courage in permitting himself to be caught. Now, I wonder why that could be.