Catholic priest molestation: The blame game

Slide show: The church wants you to know the real culprit for its scandal, from Satan to the New York Times

By Mary Elizabeth Williams

Senior Writer

Published April 12, 2010 8:45PM (EDT)

The Catholic Church has taken heat lately for that whole "decades-long, widespread raping of children and covering it up" thing. And as the world searches for explanations as to how so much abuse could have gone unpunished for so long, many lay responsibility on Pope Benedict and the legacy of his tenure as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

But those within the Catholic Church have a few ideas of their own. Who's to blame for the church's epic failure to protect kids from sexual predators? Let's find out!

View the slide show


By Mary Elizabeth Williams

Mary Elizabeth Williams is a senior writer for Salon and author of "A Series of Catastrophes & Miracles." Follow her on Bluesky @maryelizabethw.

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Catholicism Sexual Abuse Slide Shows Slideshow