it always saddens and diappoints me to hear Catholics, when asked about the sexual abuse of children in their church, immediately come up with “well, Protestants do it, too! it’s not just us, they’re equally bad!”
it reminds me of those Muslims who, when asked about the disproportianate and very noticable amount of violence and hatred propegated by a signifigant minority of Muslims, respond with “well, what about you, what about the Crusades? what about the “Christian terrorists” in Serbia and Sierra Lione? what about the priests abusing children, what about that?”
that shifting of the same accusation to another party does nothing to answer the question directed at the Muslim, or the Catholic. if the asker wanted to know about child abuse in Protestant churches, or about Christian violence, they wouldn’t have asked what they did.
it’s difficult for non-Catholics to look at the Catholic church with respect and seriousness when questions are deflected, or projected onto some one else. i realize the church and Catholics must be weary of these kinds of questions, and of defending their church because of the crimes of a few. at the same time, these are serious questions that people will ask, usually not because they hate the Catholic Church, but because they are concerned about the rape and abuse of children being covered up and kept quiet for decades within a very powerful and influential church, who had the resources and the theology to understand that sin is sin, crime is crime, and that wolves in sheeps’ clothing should not be allowed to keep preying on more sheep. and that there is much value in plucking out that member which causes the whole body to sin, and asking forgiveness of the hurt parties, from the get go.
