I didn’t say what you posted at the beginning of your article, the article did. But, I know it is true because I worked at the Seattle Law Firm that handled the defense of the Catholic priests who were accused of doing this to the boys in Seattle. The evidence showed they were guilty as SIN!!! But, in the end, they settled the cases. The families got some money, but the boys were left to suffer the remainder of their lives. Most times mom and dad pocket the cash and rarely get the kids help. They are left to deal with it theirselves, told to suck it up and “be a man.” Then mom and dad buy that new car and tell him to enjoy riding around in it. I always believed the money should be placed in an account and given to the boys when they were of legal age. I saw WAY to many cases where mom and dad were pocketing the cash and the kids got nothing. Same with Hollyweird young children stars where mom and dad made a living off the kids money. The parents think the kid should support them instead of the other way around.
There is certainly something rotten in Denmark. Yet while the pederasty crisis caused hand-wringing and soul-searching, we felt "ok" that new management - Benedict - would clean the Augean stables.
Then the Pontificate of Francis commenced and this latest fiasco (which is less about children - though some of that madness remains sadly - and more about young adults) came along...yet this time we didn't get a confession but we got excuses. Worse yet, we got lies posing as truth, not just on earthly things ("I never knew he was a predator...") but dogma ("actually Jesus didn't mean what he said about divorce"). But you know people - indeed, Jefferson hinted as much in the Declaration in the "suffer injustices" section...you don't want to believe the horror, you want to trust the Church (though many just felt in their heart that we were being had).
Then the Viganò letters came out - evidence of the rot in Denmark! NOW this is getting YUGE attention among the layity. THAT is what is scaring the bureaucrats in DC and the Vatican. We "little people" KNOW what you're doing, and we will withhold money from you and call you out. Indeed, our good FRiend Mrs Don-O writes her Bishop (or did for a while) frequently on this matter.
My point in all this, is that Catholics do not worship the Pope, or generally follow their leadership like lemmings any more than any other Christian. In fact, I see lots of Christians who don't follow any church get into heated debates about Scripture - none of us can get along! Seriously, those who stay with the Church do so not out of blind obedience or in support of the bad guys, but because our salvation is tied to Truth which transcends the bad guys. Just like I didn't leave America when Obama was Presdent, I'll stay a Catholic through these tough times.