I’ve been left in awe of the faith of the abuse survivors. I’m left to grasp at how that could be possible when someone has their innocence taken away by someone they trusted.

It also makes me and the thousands of Catholics answer the uncomfortable question of why we still attend mass. It’s because of what the church is supposed to stand for: the transcendence of an everlasting and loving God, who holds and created all truth, love and meaning.

I agree removing Bishop Richard Malone is necessary, however the problem goes much deeper than that.

Malone wasn’t head of the diocese for the worst of it. What if the next bishop is more of the same? It’s going to involve closing churches, but it’s going to be the only way of dealing with a problem of this magnitude.

It involves of course, defrocking priests that molested children but also the ones that do not take their vows seriously. Forgiveness is always available, but tolerance of these hypocrisies is not. Adulterers aren’t welcome to receive communion, why should a priest unfaithful to his vows be able to distribute it?