[gbcdoj]

I'll defer to your knowledge on Doyle, then.

My understanding is that the handling of the abuse cases was actually much worse before the 80s: for instance, Cardinal Law, despite his mishandling, did a far better job than his predecessor.

[sinkspur]

The heart of the abuse scandal was the refusal of bishops to take serial abusers out of ministry. While Law and others did a better job than those who preceded them (Medeiros, Roach, among them), they still kept men in ministry who were a danger to young people.

Geoghan and Shanley are "Exhibit A" in that regard.