OPINION — It is not a good time for those who want to believe — in their faith or in their government. No one expects any institution to be perfect, particularly those that are large and complicated. But why do so many have to be perfectly corrupt, spurring cynicism in those once so willing to give the benefit of the doubt?

There is the church I was raised in, one whose good works and ministries I loved while acknowledging flaws and grudgingly accepting the stern teachings of nuns and priests, and obeying the commandments as best I could. Pope Francis, a pontiff I admire for his common touch and common sense offered a message of understanding after a Pennsylvania grand jury report recounted horrific sins and crimes — the abuse of 1,000 minors by 300 priests over 70 years — covered up by Catholic Church leaders.

“With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesial community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives,” Francis wrote in a letter to all Catholics. “We showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them.”

But those beautiful words came late, and earned a measure of righteous scorn from those who have heard a similar message in the past with little action to follow as scandals unfolded all over the world. One can imagine few greater sins than robbing children of their innocence and their faith. It is a wound that never truly heals.

Is the church just another institution led by powerful men quick to condemn some sins while ignoring mortal ones in their midst?