Darkness Brought to Light

This week I thought about the late Timothy Findley's dystopian novel Headhunter which was published two decades ago. It is set in Toronto and, no, it didn't come to mind because of a certain dysfunctional mayor.The dark story includes a pedophile ring which includes a number of prominent citizens who assume their influence will protect them.

It was the news of yet another online child porn operation being brought to light, this time working out of Toronto. Actually, the boys who have been exploited and abused are Romanian, living in a poor village where a wealthy German gained their trust and convinced them to pose for photos. The distributor was Canadian, as were scores of the men who availed themselves of the pictures.

They included more than 40 teachers, doctors, lawyers, and nine religious leaders, pastors and priests. It always sickens me and I am always amazed that these predators assume they won't be caught. Of course, thousands probably aren't detected. While experts tell us that the vast majority never abuse children and youth themselves, they allow others to prey on the innocent and the desperate.

This is a dreadful sin, an evil which is soul-destroying for the victims. I do know families where members have been charged, and my heart goes out to those who cannot fathom why their loved ones would choose to go down this dark road. We can hope and pray that police and other authorities will continue their vigilance and their skills will become increasingly sophisticated.

Any thoughts?