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>> I made no accusation whatsoever.<<

Here’s your statement

>> >>So ... it seems that some protestants think that child molesting is perfectly fine ... if the molester happens to be a protestant.<<

Trying to hide behind that carefully chosen word “seems” doesn’t work when making insinuations.

I’ll repeat my challenge.

>> Find one comment by one Protestant who has ever said or intimated that child molestation by anyone is “perfectly fine”.<<

You also said:

>> and also protest mightily against the mere mention of child molesters who happen not to be Catholic.<<

So I will add another challenge. Show where any Protestant “protested mightily against the mere mention of child molesters who happen not to be Catholic”.

You also didn’t answer the question of whether or not the Catholic Church should be held to a higher standard since they claim “vicar” of Christ and that they are the only true church on earth.

You can “observe” all you want but when you make comments without being able to back up your assertions you remove yourself from observer status.

I was thinking about this a little more tonight and it hit me. So many want to brush off child molestation and rape as "we are all sinners" and "the church has chaff mixed in with the wheat" and "other clergy do bad things" and "even priests are imperfect sinners", blah, blah, blah. I'm thinking, you know this isn't like, oh, the Monsignor was a little irritated with the cleaning lady because she didn't iron his underwear like he likes it, so he sinned when he shouted at her and hurt her feelings. NO! THIS IS CHILD RAPE! How many people in the entire world ever would even THINK to do such a thing, much less carry it out - repeatedly?

You are quite right, CB, when you asked how the Catholic faithful can possibly brush off this condemnation with such platitudes. Yeah, we read where they have gotten angry that such things go on, but why has it not hit them square between the eyes that we are talking about supposed "men of God"? Could anyone imagine Peter or John or James or Paul excusing a follower or fellow Apostle who was guilty of such a horrendous crime? Would they have EVER allowed such a one into a position of leadership ever again? Forgive him? Yes, if he was sufficiently repentant, made it right as best he could with the child and the parents, AND demonstrated a genuine contrite heart and NEVER repeated such a vile act again. But would they have let him back as a church leader? I don't think so! A crime, a sin as grievous and vile as this permanently destroys a man's reputation, or at least it should, and he SHOULD spend time in prison if convicted. Paul reprimanded the Corinthians for not kicking out an adulterer, one who slept with his father's wife who wasn't ashamed of his acts and cease from them. How much more do we think he would have reacted if a Church leader was not only not kicked out from his position, but left in place or moved to another unsuspecting place to continue in depravity and ruin more young innocent lives?

Jesus said such a one would be better off having a millstone tied around his neck and cast into the sea than to harm his little ones. That alone should show that these kinds of sins are to be treated so much differently than other kinds. The Catholic Church is paying - and will continue to pay - a steep price for its complicity. And there is no excuse for what they did, NONE. As I said earlier in this thread, if they had done the right thing at the start, most of this damage could have been averted. I don't know if it was pride, fear of embarrassment, fear of publicity or what, but whatever the reason they have reaped what they have sown. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. The wind was sown long ago, the whirlwind - sent by God, BTW - is only getting started.