"The abuse and the coverup are real issues, but they're very far from being the most important and the most urgent ones".

To me, Joe threw in a red herring, Thacher. I don't know his purpose, (I suspect it was for comparison purposes). But, it is often a technique used to dillute the focus of in a discussion, in this case the thread topic relates to RC priest abuse.

Yes, there are many important issues that impact human kind around the world. But, is it reasonable to deal with each one going down a priority list, or, priority by country? That would mean one would never reach action on most issues, only on a few priorities at the top?

Or, is it more reasonable and productive to deal with many (or,all) at the same time, given our combined resources, the ease at which change can often be made, and considering our differing views on what the priority is, and their impacts on individuals and organizations?