We don't know that "most are dead" since we don't know who they are because Rome refuses to make their names public.
Hundreds could still be working in schools and churches even now. Thus the need for more pathetic secrecy from Rome.
In addition to the individual pederast priests, the Roman Catholic church is guilty of the crimes of ignoring sexual abuse, and according to the article, of actually encouraging it. Per the article...
The report found that molestation and rape were "endemic" in boys' facilities, chiefly run by the Christian Brothers order, and supervisors pursued policies that increased the danger.
Perhaps some want to revive the practice of collective reparations for historic crimes. Do you want to endorse that idea?
That's right; deflect the discussion into something meaningless. It's all in the past. This will never happen again.
Except maybe yesterday.
The continuing relevance (in Ireland) consists in making sure that effective screening and supervisory procesures are put in place so that such abuses cannot recur in any youth facilities, denominational, public, or private.
As for the American scene, I see no evidence of prosecuting attorneys going after, for instance, any metropolitan School District's correspondance files and personnel records over the past 60 years so they can comb them for evidence of neglct or cruelty to children. Hofstra University Researcher Charol Shakeshaft --- Google that name and you'll get tons of information --- not only found a higher incidence of abuse percentage-wise in pubic schools than in Catholic institutions, but found the level of vigilance and safeguards far lower.
(From School Reform News:)
"A few years ago, for example, a review of 412 teachers hired by the Cleveland, Ohio school district disclosed only 26 had undergone required background checks. Not only did 192 school employees have felony convictions, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported, but 27 of them had three or more."
Evidence of cover-up? Who needs to cover up if nobody is looking?
At least in the last 15 years, Catholic schools/churches is the US have developed the most comprehensive level of background-checks, child-protective measures and supervision of any youth-related services in the world. I the Irish church --- all the Irish churches --- should do the same.
I wonder if we'll ever see that level of oversight in the public schools, youth programs, juvenile detention centers, and foster care?
This may not fit in with your over-all polemic, but it's something worth looking into.