Religiously passing the buck
The Spanish Catholic Church is believed to be responsible for the sexual abuse of hundreds of thousands of children. Spain's ombudsman, Angel Gabilondo, also criticised the Church for inaction; attempts to cover up or deny the abuse; and a less-than-wholehearted engagement with his commission's work:
While Mr Gabilondo said on Friday that the Church did cooperate with the commission to a certain extent, he highlighted its lack of interest in assisting with the report and the hostility of bishops in some dioceses.
Kathryn Armstrong, BBC News
What has happened has been possible because of that silence
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He went on to propose the establishment of a state fund to compensate the Church's victims. Ms Armstrong doesn't go so far as to say whether or not, and if so how, Mr Gabilondo justified burdening the Spanish taxpayer with the obligation to right the wrongs of the Catholic Church. As much as mere money could ever do so, the Church itself should be made to atone for its sins; especially given its reluctance to engage openly and fully with the commission's report. Or perhaps atonement is only intended for mere peons.
Either way, would their god be pleased with the Catholic Church's leadership and the example they've set?