"And remember, when this abuse was actually happening, the Catholic Church, the Pope, even the congregation were all absent."
When will you admit that the church hierarch KNEW about the abuse - facilitated it by passing the abusers on to other parishes (and eventually to countries where, apparently, it didn't matter) while continued to cover it up (right up to the preasent day)?
The abuse goes right through the church like a rotten core - and has yet to be acknowleged, let alone apologised for by the church leaders.
It's true that all this has nothing to do with Christianity - but neither has the church. Tomorrow there will be a 'damage limitation' meeting in the Vatican, which sums up perfectly how 'chastened' the church is regarding its behaviour toward the children of Ireland.
All this - while they church aspired to the nation's moral guardian.....
Jim Carroll