[Hieronymus]

It would show genuine respect for justice to severely punish everyone who was guilty of abusing the innocent.

I have no patience for abusive priests, but I only have a little more patience for abusers of any type. Priests are by no means the only ones who abuse people, and those from outside who pile on priests and ignore their own problems should mind their knitting.

If your denomination has no problems of this sort, it is likely very small. If it does have problems, be sure to post them on Freepdom, with appropriate caucus settings.

[metmom]

I don’t have a denomination but I know of pastors who have been removed from the pulpit and had their credentials pulled for garden variety adultery or porn use.

I’ve also been part of churches that remove names from the membership list for unrepentant adultery in one case, and extortion in another.

The churches I go to practice church discipline and take sin in their pastors and members seriously.

[Jim Noble]

I have to say, that although protestants and jews have plenty of abusers who use their positions of trust to groom their victims, the current state of affairs in the Western Church has some unique features - the disincentive for men who are attracted to women to become ordained, the transnational structure which has allowed some abusers to "disappear", and the sacramental theology (which I believe in) which offers abusers a population that needs something only the ordained can provide.

The current affair with the American bishops is of enormous importance and will not be resolved without major disruptions.