Don, it IS anecdotal, but "anecdotal" does not mean that information is untrue. My dictionary says that "anecdotal" means "based on or consisting of reports or observations of usually unscientific observers." I have no doubt whatsoever about "the authenticity of several posters' accounts" - I have no doubt about the authenticity of any of the accounts posted above. But still, they are anecdotal, describing individual incidents or locations. As I said, it's not the incidents cited above that I question. My doubt is about the validity of the wide-reaching conclusions and condemnations that many have made, based on their personal reading and observations. To arrive at the truth, you need a far more comprehensive study. The Ryan Report, on the other hand, follows the discipline of a scientific study, and is therefore far more credible in its conclusions.

My anecdotal evidence is quite different, and it is also valid and true - but again, not sufficient evidence for a broad-reaching conclusion. Although I have seen misconduct in the Catholic Church on many occasions and I have often spoken out against it, most of my experiences in the Catholic Church have been very positive. I work at least one day a week in an women's center run by Catholic nuns, which operates under the slogan "hospitality with dignity and love" - and the nuns take that slogan very seriously. The center has served the poor of Sacramento generously for 23 years, with never a hint of scandal or abuse. Same with our local food closet and homeless dining room, which serve thousands and thousands of meals a year, never with disrespect or financial manipulation or any shade of doubt about their integrity.

Last night, I spent an hour in church preparing for Christmas, listening to how important it is for us to care for the homeless, and especially for children in need.

The "preferential option for the poor" is official Catholic teaching. So are the Seven Principles of Catholic Social Teaching:

• Sacredness of Life and the Dignity of the Human Person
  
• Call to Family, Community, and Participation
  
• Human Rights and Responsibilities
  
• Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
  
• The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
  
• Solidarity of the Human Family/Race
  
• Care for God's Creation

These are the rules. The abuse and molestation of children are violations of the rules, horrible abuses of both moral and criminal law. I am appalled that people have committed these crimes in the name of my religious faith, and I have worked to combat these evil people, ever since I first learned of these offenses when I was in college. I do not defend them in any way, and I am outraged that they have seen fit to make use of MY church for their evil actions. I do not respect any Catholic or Catholic leader who condones or conceals this sort of conduct - and I acknowledge that there are many who have.

But their conduct is not the essence of the Catholic Church, and you will find nothing in Catholic teaching that supports their conduct. The essence of the Catholic faith is living a life in service to a loving God and to all of God's creation. Child abuse and molestation are a sacrilege, a horrible abuse of God's wonderful creation.

I fully acknowledge that these abuses have taken place, and the evidence indicates that these abuses are particularly widespread in Ireland. Should I be ashamed of these abuses, should I apologize for them? Well, I wonder how meaningful it is to apologize for something that I've never supported, enabled, or condoned in any way.

What about the question of compensation for the victims? Yes, I believe that the victims should be generously compensated, and should be given psychiatric treatment and whatever else will be helpful to their healing. However, I do wonder how much compensation is enough. The million-dollar settlements in the US are making the victims wealthy, but they're not healing the victims or preventing future abuse. The settlements are leading to cutbacks and closures in education and social service programs, most of which were not involved in the scandals in any way (one major exception is Covenant House, whose founder Fr. Bruce Ritter was a child molester).

And about those art works and church buildings - they also belong to ordinary Catholics, not only to the child molesters. Must the rest of us lose all of this to pay for their misdeeds? Must we close soup kitchens and homeless shelters, and Catholic Relief Services warehouses for food supplies for Third World countries? Must we auction off the Pieta and the Sistine Chapel to pay for the deeds of these miscreants?

If child molesters were found to be active in an organization that's important to you or to which you belong, how much liability should you have for the molester's actions? If you father molested your brother and not you, should your brother become the sole heir of family property?

So, no, I don't deny the problem of child abuse and molestation in the Catholic Church. It's a huge, serious scandal. And almost universally, the victims were Catholic, so this scandal is something that hurt our own members. But there aren't easy solutions and easy answers. Nobody knows why people do such horrible things, and nobody knows how to prevent it.

It's clear that the offenders should pay for their crimes - but how much should be paid by other Catholics, including by those who were among the victims? I don't know any Catholics who defend or deny the actions of the molesters and abusers, or who defend the bishops who tried to cover up these crimes (although I admit that there ARE some idiots who still defend the bastards). However, while this scandal has implications outside the Catholic Church, the primary effect was within the church. We feel we were betrayed and violated by these bishops and molesters and abusers. We are absolutely outraged by their actions. What we have trouble dealing with, is how people outside the Catholic Church criticize us and demand we make repayment for the outrageous actions committed by others against us and against our children.

-Joe Offer-