The child abuse scandal has plagued the Church for several reasons. The first, and probably most grievous, is that the hierarchy did not publicize the crimes, fearing scandal. Unfortunately, they failed also in curbing the abuse properly; the crimes were made public and the Church's reputation suffered greatly.
However, there is a secondary source of ire, and that is the old anti-clerical stance the world has taken since the twilight of the Middle Ages; since the Church is but a worldly, man-made institution, so the reasoning goes, it should accommodate itself to the latest in modern sentiment; that She does not is infuriating; the more so when She promulgates unpopular doctrines like those forbidding abortion. Thus, in the words of Chesterton, any stick is good enough to beat Her with; and particularly the child abuse scandal. One would almost believe that priests never do anything else, because their celibate lifestyles impel them towards pedophilia (a most unjust remark to pedophiles - perhaps I'll write about them later). Yet as even the secular (and rather, though not extremely, anti-clerical) media have written, Holy Church's priests abuse children at about the same rate as other groups. And though one may despise Her doctrine, one must admit that bowing to the current winds of the age is little good in maintaining apostolic tradition.
However, there is a secondary source of ire, and that is the old anti-clerical stance the world has taken since the twilight of the Middle Ages; since the Church is but a worldly, man-made institution, so the reasoning goes, it should accommodate itself to the latest in modern sentiment; that She does not is infuriating; the more so when She promulgates unpopular doctrines like those forbidding abortion. Thus, in the words of Chesterton, any stick is good enough to beat Her with; and particularly the child abuse scandal. One would almost believe that priests never do anything else, because their celibate lifestyles impel them towards pedophilia (a most unjust remark to pedophiles - perhaps I'll write about them later). Yet as even the secular (and rather, though not extremely, anti-clerical) media have written, Holy Church's priests abuse children at about the same rate as other groups. And though one may despise Her doctrine, one must admit that bowing to the current winds of the age is little good in maintaining apostolic tradition.