It's Not Just a Catholic Church Problem

I wrote about the holy fraternity before and according to a recent study of the Catholic Church abuse scandal has made the same observation:

"The dioceses did respond to many cases of abuse. . . However, their responses focused primarily on priests rather than the victims. Their overwhelming focus was to find a resolution for the priests. . . . While the diocesan leadership showed concern for the well-being of the priest there was little evidence of concern for the well-being of the victims."

The study also pointed out that their reaction to the accusations are not different than society in general.

According to Terry and Smith, the Catholic experience -- contrary to popular belief -- may be of wider relevance because it seems to fall in line with what is known about abuse in society over that period.

"We have not found that the problem [the sexual abuse of minors] is particular to the church," Smith told the bishops. "We have found it to be similar to the problem in society."

Now I can say I told you so.