Your argument is based on a misunderstanding of the authority structure of the Catholic Church, Mike. It is far more decentralized than you understand. Your belief is that it is a simple, top-down, absolute monarchy. The reality is far more complex than that.

In almost all matters but doctrine, the orders come from the local bishop's office - and the operation of mother-and-baby homes is not a matter of doctrine. Even the national council of bishops or the national primate, cannot overrule a bishop in his own diocese. In the U.S. in 2002, all Catholic dioceses but one adopted a national system of safeguards against child molestation - neither they nor Rome could make the guy change his ways until he retired [this was archconservative Fabian Bruskiewicz of Lincoln, Nebraska].

Of course, the Irish institutions were run mostly by orders of nuns, and religious orders have their own autonomy. The local bishop has only limited say-so about the activity of religious orders in his diocese. In the U.S., reparations for child molestation were paid by local bishops if the offender was a diocesan priest, and by the religious order if the offender was member of an order.

Most of the time, I'm happy about this decentralized power structure, because it means we American Catholics have not been heavily affected by the whims of the Italian power elite in Rome. They may rule Rome, but they have to rely on political give-and-take outside Rome.

During the reign of Benedict XVI, the Vatican finally bowed to international pressure and began to set up a churchwide system to control child abuse, but this is counter to the ordinary system of operation of the church.

It's ironic - so many people condemn the Catholic Church for being the absolute monarchy that it isn't, and then they demand that it act like an absolute monarchy in situations like this.

-Joe Offer-

P.S. Our unnamed Guest can remain anonymous, but common courtesy here is to use a consistent name or consistent pseudonym on every post. No-name posts are rude and deceptive and downright cowardly, even if Mudcat has no rule prohibiting them. Oh, and I must say that our Guest's mention(s) of Satanism makes me wonder whether he/she is running on all four cylinders.