A report came out in the New York Times the other day that priests had sexually abused nuns. This is something that I've known about for maybe thirty years - it has been discussed at length in Catholic newspapers like America and National Catholic Reporter. I am disgusted and embarrassed that this sort of thing would happen in my church, but the reality is that it DOES happen - that it's almost certain to happen in an organization with 1.2 billion members. It happens everywhere, so why not in churches?

A friend of mine posted the NY Times article on Facebook and urged his Catholic friends to leave their church, and here's how I responded:

Maybe you can't understand this, but please try. I see each new exposure of misconduct as a step forward, not as a reason for leaving. I have known of these issues all my life, and I have fought against this sort of malfeasance for years. When it is brought to light and especially when it is prosecuted, I see that as a victory.
But I am still Catholic because that's who I am. To leave, would be to betray myself. So I will remain a Catholic, and will continue to work to fix what's wrong with Catholicism.

-Joe-