Catholics seem to miss the fact that it’s not that the abuse occurred that is the problem.
Abusers will sneak in through any system set up to prevent it. It, unfortunately, happens.
The problem is the way it was handled when it was exposed.
The resultant cover up and moving of abusers from parish to parish was nothing more than the church guarding the door while the abuse went on. That is an abomination and that those responsible for both the abuse and cover ups (making them complicit) were not dealt with until the public outcry forced the church into damage control, is the major issue here which virtually no Catholic will address.
All they ever do is go on to post “statistics” to “prove” that a child’s own father is a worse abuser than any Catholic priest. As if that justifies it or negates it.
It’s the old *Look, over there!* tactic.
“It’s the old *Look, over there!* tactic.”
Or the “others do it, too” defense.