[lcaillo]

Dealing with the problem can be difficult. I am involved in scouting and the move to exclude homosexuals as leaders was percieved as a solution to this problem by many. In fact it was not, as the relationship between the behaviors is not as some would believe. The problem remains, but to a smaller degree, I suspect than in the Church. The real solution is the same as in other areas, two-deep leadership. BSA has a very clear policy that two people are to be present when boys are around. This is problematic in the Church, with the nature of counselling that priests do and the shortage of priests. The latter is one of the practical problems with the requirement for celibacy.

There will always be those who will exploit and abuse others in any social system. The church is very slow to recognize problems and to adapt to solve them. That does not make it all that special. The same can be said for society in general, though in this case the Church seems to have had its head in the sand for an untenable amount of time. Given the inherent power that a priest has within such a system, there will always be those who will attempt to abuse it. It seems to me that Catholics need to be place their faith in God rather than in the individuals that make up the Church and not allow their children to be in positions that might present the opportunity for abuse. The Church needs to take a much more proactive approach, which is just now starting to happen. Personally, Catholicism doesn't work for me, but I respect many of the Catholics that I know and much of the work that the Church does. This is an area in which it has failed badly, among many in its history.