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You've stated the problem. Answers seem to be harder for all of us except those who can't seem to understand the talk of the Lord protecting the institutional Church from error is (at least potentially) self-serving and designed to keep them from questioning the bad behavior of those who benefit materially from the institution. According to them, our spiritual reward comes only from adhereing to their institutional Church, from which they reap all the material benefits. It doesn't compute.

Answers seem to be harder for all of us except those who can't seem to understand the talk of the Lord protecting the institutional Church

One of the most amazing and fantastical things about the Catholic Church is that throughout every era (the Crusades, the Inquisition, WWII, the eras of massive fiscal corruption, of political corruption, and so forth), it has preserved and found the strength to preserve its 'deposit of truth' from corruption. This has not been true with most of the Protestant churches. Though huge segments of the Catholic Church have strayed mightily from that deposit of truth, the Church managed to protect it, as if held in a vault and protected from human malfeasance and misguidedness. In that sense, the Church really is unique, and it's not hard to sense divine protection there. When things like this molestation tragedy happen, it is perhaps God's way of shoving us back to the original deposit of truth.

I, and many others, have been objecting to the queering of some of the seminaries for years. For our trouble, we've been condemned as bigoted, intolerant homophobes who are to doctrinaire and rigid in our thinking. I've worn such condemnation as a red badge of courage. At the risk of being considered obnoxious, "See, I told you so!!!" Now, let's get the perverted sodomites and their enablers out of positions of authority, like I and others have been requesting for years, before any more damage is done. The Church has taught for 2000 years that buggery is sinful. Do you have a problem with that? Do you think that teaching isn't from God? Corrupt men teach that buggery is an 'alternative lifestyle', that we must accept in our celebration of diversity. The Church has never taught that, and the recent Catechism of the Catholic Church simply and unambiguously confirms 2000 years of teaching that 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered'. I don't see how anyone can have trouble understanding that. Some may disagree with it, but to claim not to understand it seems a bit disingenuous.

Answers seem to be harder for all of us except those who can't seem to understand the talk of the Lord protecting the institutional Church from error is (at least potentially) self-serving and designed to keep them from questioning the bad behavior of those who benefit materially from the institution.

The Church only claims infallibility in doctrine regarding faith and morals. The Church does not teach the impeccability of its clergy.

According to them, our spiritual reward comes only from adhereing to their institutional Church, from which they reap all the material benefits. It doesn't compute.

You can't separate Christ from His Church, not even in scripture. But it is possible to separate the sinful acts of clergy from the Sacred Doctrine of the Church.