This whole issue is so disconcerting that it’s difficult to get my mind around. There are times when I consider returning to the Catholic faith - as I often miss the traditions and rituals and the veneration of Mary. They bring with them a sense of holiness and a deep mental connection that I don’t experience often in the Protestant faith.
However, this “smoke of Satan” as some have called it prevents me from trusting the Church leadership. How can I trust those spiritual leaders that allowed such horrific abuse to occur? Were abusive priests the minority? Yes. And, had those few priests been removed immediately (if not arrested) and sent to a monastery in the mountains, then I think that most of us would accept that every now and then, a bad priest slips through the system. Even Protestant ministers have their own sex scandals from time to time.
Yet, it becomes more and more apparent that abusive priests were simply shuffled to other parishes and allowed to continue the abuse. This almost seems like it’s an understood behavior, and maybe even consented. What else is one to conclude? Furthermore, to listen to the Vatican “spin” these issues in a manner reminiscent of 1998 Clinton – is downright repulsive.
Perhaps one solution is to allow priests to marry. While I am not stating that married men won’t sexually abuse children – it would expand the “recruiting pool” and maybe bring in a fresh new spirit of trust between the Church and its members.