In Palm Beach, where there was no question about Symons' resignation being big news, the coverage ranged widely over the human dimensions of the story and the broader cultural and religious issues. As far as can be told, Catholics found little to object to in the Post 's coverage. But then, on July 30, Twila Decker of the St. Peterburg Times reported, on the basis of records released by the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's office, that Symons' initial accuser had actually brought the molestation to the attention of Church authorities three years earlier than previously supposed. He said that he himself had learned of the meeting between Symons and his victim just days before Symons resigned-which left open the question of why he had made no mention of it in his initial statement. The unsettling coda is a reminder that, whatever its salience in the nation's media culture, priest pedophilia remains a substantial crisis for America's largest religious body.
Editors take note.