I spent three years of my childhood living at Hanscom Air Force Base, located about 20 miles northwest of Boston, which was home to two Boy Scout troops. One was the type of gung-ho outfit you’d expect of military kids and the other consisted predominantly of mentally ill, physically disabled and emotionally disturbed boys. I was one of a handful of boys without affliction in the second troop and found helping these boys through the challenges of Scouting to be extremely rewarding.

Shortly before I completed the requirements for Eagle Scout, the scoutmaster of my troop was arrested and charged with the rape of two Scouts, brothers who were relied upon as leaders among the boys. As an anxious 13-year-old, I spoke to Air Force investigators, assuring them that nothing inappropriate happened to me, but stunned by how close I was to something so cruel and terrible. The scoutmaster, trusted with the care of so many children, was convicted in 1990 and sent to prison.

I also once served as an altar boy for Bernard Cardinal Law. He holds the distinction as the first person in the nation implicated in the Archdiocese of Boston’s sexual abuse scandal. His movement of predatory priests from one congregation to the next inflicted known monsters on unsuspecting children. That he remains a cardinal and was allowed to participate in the 2005 papal conclave is an unconscionable affront to hundreds of victims. It should be cause for outrage among Catholics the world over.

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