The worst thing for me is seeing priests whose rape of children occurred long after the Vatican, US archbishops and bishop, and the American clergy had become fully apprised of the enormity and evil of this scandal. Aside from the damage to children, to the Church as an institution, and to us members who make up the the RC branch of the Body of Christ, how could anyone be stupid-enough to think they wouldn’t be caught?!

Now we Christians see Holy Mother hemorrhaging her
children because some men and, to a lesser degree, some women have risked censure, loss of membership in orders/communities, and for ordained priests, the right to say Mass; and even long, hard years in prison.

Cardinal Law came in for a lot of criticism when he said there was a learning curve regarding rehabilitation of admitted pedophiles. But I remember a conversation with a clinical psychologist when we discussed the wonderful cures taking place at various Catholic facilities. That was the belief in those days, that pedophiles could be cured.

I don’t think the Church ought to turn its back or either the victims or the perpetrators. It is, admittedly, a difficult balance, a narrow chalk line to walk; but walk it we must.