In recent years, sexual scandals plaguing the Catholic Church in the US and elsewhere have become routine. These scandals dominate the headlines and have weakened the Catholic Church, which besides being a religious institution, is also a powerful political force. For instance, it was revealed recently that Pope Francis had played a major role in the US-Cuba rapprochement.
When there is such a powerful institution with awesome political clout, there certainly will be other forces offended or hurt by that clout and they will resort to any means at their disposal — in this case, the news media — to retaliate.
Having said that, the Catholic priests caught red-handed cannot be absolved as the courts have been handing down guilty verdicts in many cases, resulting in embarrassment and huge damages for the church and its coffers.
The issue of clergy celibacy is considered the root cause of those abuses while the Catholic Church obstinately remains attached to that anachronistic practice. The Catholic Church has gone through many reforms, and has still more to face, yet the issue of clergy celibacy is not on the agenda.
As we review the media coverage, more often than not, the Catholic Church seems to be singled out for exposure. Other denominations certainly experience similar problems, but we learn about them only casually or seldom.