ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author draws on attention to a particular twist to an agonizing problem by the sheer dishonesty of the Church’s message. If the Church is to give moral guidance and inspiration to the human race, this area of public truthfulness in the activities of governments and corporations is extremely important. The most heroic examples of witnessing to the truth were the sufferings and cruel deaths of the martyrs. In addition to the simple practice of truthfulness, which has been acknowledged in all ethical systems since the ancient Greeks, Christianity has a specific contribution to this virtue. In the context of the nonconformist conscience, one is led to reflect upon the combination of truth and justice that produces one of the most positive of moral attitudes, namely integrity. The suffering that the children endured was bad enough in itself but the reputation of the Church suffered equally by the cover-up.
