I am sincerely taken aback that you thought I was saying "Pedophilia isn't so bad, everybody does it." That would be a grotesque point of view, as you say, outright moral relativism.
What I am objecting to is the misleading and tendentious way the overall pedophilia news is reported, so as to make a strong impression that there is some egregious link between Catholicism and pedophilia.
That impedes the practices and policies needed to obtain effective child protection. Why? Because media and prosecutorial scrutiny is focused on Catholic institutions to such a degree that institutions with a higher risk of pedophilia are effectively given a pass. (When I speak of "higher risk" I mean the 10-20x higher incidence found in group home and foster care placements, pediatric psychology and psychiatry practices, youth athletic leagues and the like, and --- for sheer volume of offenses --- public schools.)
It also creates a distorted public perception that Catholic faith and morals foster pedophilia (for instance, one side says it's because the Catholic Church is too intolerant of homosexuals; the other, that she is too tolerant.)
The first thing I could lay my hands on in terms of child protective standards is the VIRTUS document on pastoral conduct, particularly page 7. Note that many partsof his document apply to standards of conduct with other adults (not just children); some apply to laity and clergy in general; some parts are addressed specifically to pastoral counselors and spiritual directors.
I ask you to note this because Scout leaders don't do pastoral counseling and spiritual direction, and thus can be held to the standard that there should be no one-to-one interaction between Scout leaders and individual Scouts. This is not necessarily the case when a minor (or adult) is receiving appropriate counseling, which requires confidentiality.
I'd be interested in your thoughts.
Thank you. I like section 8.1. I think it needs to be emphasized.
My thoughts. The church should try to find a way that there can be a second adult in physical proximity when confidentiality is required. Perhaps not within normal earshot, but with a known presence and availability. This not only protects the child, but the clergy as well.
My final thought - I won’t let my children be alone and completely isolated with a priest for any significant period of time.