Seems to me, that most here are more interested in what motivates the Catholic Church, than what motivated the bastards who actually committed these disgusting crimes.

I don't think it's rocket science to have some idea of the complexities that might motivate men to abuse children.

The main point that has been discussed in this thread and in the media generally is how a set of men at the highest levels of the church - men who are supposed to be Christians, who are supposed to religious and proclaiming God's word on Earth - men who are supposed to be setting examples of goodness and morality - can be so dishonest as to try to sweep the mess under the carpet rather than deal with it honestly and openly, and cut it out swiftly and cleanly.

The hypocrisy of such a stance is breathtaking, given the scale of the problem. This is why it's been discussed to such an extent. What motivates the Catholic Church is precisely the point.

I should add that, though I'm not in the slightest bit religious, and have never been, my attitude to all this would be exactly the same had it occurred in any other organisation or institution, regardless of religion. I can only guess at the upset all this must cause to committed Catholics, and I'm sympathetic to it, but please don't try and fudge the issue by saying it's just another chance for some of us to get at the church and religion. It's not.

I worked for many years in a university. Some years ago, a member of staff was found to have child pornography on his office computer. After being interviewed and having admitted downloading it, he was instantly dismissed and left that day. No shilly-shallying, no moving him from one department to another. The university, with a large population of (mainly) young people acted properly. Surely the church should do the same?