The Pope has been very clear about the evil in the Church:
"The attacks on the Pope and the Church do not just come from outside, but the sufferings of the Church come precisely from within the Church, from the sin that is in the Church," he said. "This has always been known, but today we see it in a really terrifying way: The greatest persecution of the Church does not come from external enemies, but is born from the sin in the Church.

"And the Church, therefore, has the profound need to learn penance again, to accept purification, to learn on one hand forgiveness, as well as the need for justice. Forgiveness does not replace justice."
 
Still, the Pope confirmed that "the Lord is stronger than evil and the Virgin is, for us, the visible, maternal guarantee of the goodness of God, who is always the last word in history."  SEE:  zenit.org/article-29219?  

It should also be clear by now that the media is exploiting this terrible situation to attack the Church in general.

RESPONSE TO THE LIES:

LIE: The Catholic Church has been at the center of the child abuse scandal that continues to grow.

RESPONSE: The fact is that child abuse is rampart everywhere. Members of the Church are also vulnerable to fall in as much as they are in the world.

Archbishop John C. Nienstedt writes:
A study undertaken by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice reported last November that the height of reported sexual abuse cases by priests occurred during the 1960s and 1970s. This clergy abuse was concurrent with the so-called “sexual revolution,” resulting in a high incidence of sexual promiscuity, divorce and drug use within our culture.

The report suggests that the church was not immune from these influences: “The incidence of abuse of youth in the Catholic Church between 1950 and 2002 is consistent with the pattern of social change in the USA.”

This, of course, is not mentioned to exonerate the heinous actions of the church’s ministers. But keeping the context in mind does help to provide some perspective in light of some of the more extreme claims made against the church in the midst of such scandals. Other denominations and organizations regrettably had their own incidence of sexual abuse of children.  Source: The Catholic Spirit thecatholicspirit.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3561&Itemid=108  

Unfortunately some bishops in the 1960s and 1970s were influenced in some degree to the prevailing view of the times. It was believed that the compulsion to abuse children could be “fixed” by therapy offered by psychologists and psychiatrists. The standard practice in all organizations was to accept the experts advice when they declared that therapy had worked.

The sexual revolution which began in the 1960,s caused a rapid erotion sexual morality. The infamous "Kinsey Report" became extremely influencial, finding its way to numerous prestigious centers of learning. Among many other aberrations, Kinsey justified sexual experimentation with children. The Catholic Church has been steadfast in its teaching about moral values but, unfortunately, the corruption of the world also finds its way into the Church. 

BIG LIE: That the Pope has said nothing about the abuse of children in the church
Many media outlets claim that the Pope has said nothing about the abuse cases. 

RESPONSE: The fact is that the Holy Father has spoken repeatedly and clearly about these abuses.  He has done before and after his election to the papacy. He has also acted against the abuses and has met with the victims. He has asked forgiveness in the name of the Church for those who have committed abuses. He continues to confront this evil. Here is one of many of the Holy Father´s statements: "Apart from the attention we must pay to the victims, we must pursue co-operation with the relevant civilian judicial and penal authorities, in line with the legal and other situations in each country,"  "Transparency and rigor impose themselves as urgent requirements.

Archbishop John C. Nienstedt writes:
He (the pope) helped provide (in 2002) the canonical assistance we needed in order to address the terrible scourge of sexual abuse in the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” The charter is online:  www.archspm.org/_uls/resources/Charter-PCYP-English.pdf

Later, during his pastoral visit to the United States of America in 2008, Pope Benedict spoke to the difficult issue directly:

“Among the countersigns to the Gos­pel of life found in America and elsewhere is one that causes deep shame: the sexual abuse of minors. Many of you have spoken to me of the enormous pain that your communities have suffered when clerics have betrayed their priestly obligations and duties by such gravely immoral behavior. As you strive to eliminate this evil wherever it occurs, you may be assured of the prayerful support of God’s people throughout the world.

“Rightly you attach priority to showing compassion and care to the victims,” he continued. “It is your God-given responsibility as pastors to bind up the wounds caused by every breach of trust, to foster healing, to promote reconciliation and to reach out with loving concern to those so seriously wronged.”
-The Catholic Spirit

Archbishop Vincen Nicols:
"What of the role of Pope Benedict? When he was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith he led important changes made in church law: the inclusion in canon law of internet offences against children, the extension of child abuse offences to include the sexual abuse of all under 18, the case by case waiving of the statue of limitation and the establishment of a fast-track dismissal from the clerical state for offenders. He is not an idle observer. His actions speak as well as his words."

BIG LIE: That sex abuse by priests is part of a wide practice that goes unpunished.
Geoffrey Robertson wrote: "If acts of sexual abuse by priests are not isolated or sporadic events but part of a wide practice both known to and unpunished by their de facto-authority - i.e. the Catholic Church  (... then the commander can be held criminally liable,"  -LONDON, April 5, 2010, Pope's Immunity Could Be Challenged in U.K.

RESPONSE: fact is that the abuse goes on everywhere. To a lesser extent, also among priests. Yet no one has done more than the Church to eliminate the abuses. 

Since 2002, the Catholic Church in this country has worked harder than any other organization that I can think of to put into place measures to protect young people as well as to reach out to former victims. A statement of the facts is helpful here:

Catholic dioceses around this country have invested more than $21 million for child protection efforts, including training programs, background checks and salaried positions. Almost 6 million students in Catholic schools or religious education programs have participated in safe environment training. Over 2 million priests, deacons, seminarians, educators, employees and volunteers have had background checks.  -Archbishop John C. Nienstedt, The Catholic Spirit

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