This wasn't a planned article, but this needs to be spoken of because of current events. The article which was scheduled for this month will be posted in December. People have often poked at the Church, especially the Catholic denomination for it's views on sex. Priests molesting alter boys has often been the butt of jokes. I remember a time when this was kept in secret, whether or not the allegations were true. Priests were not (in church member's eyes) common men, but were like earth-bound saints doing God's work. Any hint of sexual energy was immediately pushed aside and celibacy was the path to a higher spirituality.
Times have changed since September 11th. That day seems to be the turning point and people are more aware of the things which are going on around them. This only strengthens the article I had written back in October of 2001. It's sad that a sex scandal is what it takes for people to look at the Church and see it beyond a place of holiness. The Church is a government establishment like any other. I had been saying this for years, but no one believed me. The Church feels as if they should enforce their own laws to this matter of sexual abuse. This is not a matter for the Church to decide. This is beyond faith and deals with criminal law.
The Church has become divided with how to deal with the situation which has been growing for years. They often tried to bury this secret. This isn't the first scandal the Church has gone through. It's been built on questionable ideals. It was only last year when it was discovered that Nuns in the Vatican were being raped by priests and forced to have abortions when they mysteriously became pregnant. Currently, only 11% of the people whom are Catholic are questioning their faith. It's likely that if they choose another religion, they'll find one comfortably Christian.