Is it any wonder that sex abusers and pedophiles would be drawn to an institution where closeting everything by way of the tradition of the confessional are drawn to the Catholic church? This has been known since the thing began! Info has been around for nearly the entire history of the mother church! It's finally proliferating at godspeed (pun intended) now because of the boom and velocity of technology, the information highway, and social media. Obviously.
The only rational thing to do is condemn the guilty, incarcerate them, shame them, and keep doing it; but should we be surprised? I'm not.
Anyone ever take a look at The Ring and the Book by that nice kid, Bob Browning? Good stuff.
True devilry often hides in plain sight. Sometimes with fancy clothes and lots of money, and sometimes with dirt and rags. But true evil requires some kind of power: strength, or leverage; and the more power, the greater the potential evil, the worse the torment, the more deep and lasting the harm.
And what that nice poet Keats wrote is nice but untrue:
"A thing of beauty is a joy forever,
Its loveliness increases, it will never
Pass into nothingness, but still will keep
A bower quiet for us and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing..."
and/or:
"Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty; that is all
Ye know on Earth, and all ye need to know."
which reminds me of something somebody else wrote:
"Cruel is a thing that shines,
When it decides to strike.
The poet turns to find
His heart laid waste by night." - it's about unrequited love, and a rotten marriage. Nearly killed him.
