Being a catholic all my life I have met some fine men who were in the priesthood. Men who I would trust to care for my kids. However, I'm certain that some of the parents of these abused kids probably felt the same way. Situations like this make you question everything you believed to be true. It is very sad.

I'm not surprised that some parents allowed their kids to spend night at the rectory. The way some of us (not me particularly but friends of mine) were raised was that it was a special thing and a blessing to have your son choose the priesthood. Many-a-parent has pushed their son to choose the priesthood. To see first hand the life of a priest, in theory, is a good idea if you're considering that choice. For the kids you mentioned, it was the worst idea. I can't imagine allowing a son to stay at a rectory overnight considering all of the things that have happened.

I believe that as a religion, catholicism has it's eyes closed to the real world and it's changes. We have many blind followers that only prepetuate the problem. I would like to say that as big a black eye that this is for the Catholic Church, there are still some fine men and women who show themselves to be leaders every day. Problem is, whether it's an epidemic or not, the folks making the news are the ones creating the stereotype, and it's a strong one.

Frank