It is a shocking reflection on Australia and the Catholic Church.
Well, I have thought of Australia as being a more wild and natural area . . . where people would live more for real and not do that stuff.
this should not go against the many good workers who have helped many.
Jesus says His sheep know His voice. So, I think it is wise to evaluate people according to how Jesus has us testing people > John 7:24 < not by their acting and show and whoever's say-so.
What is more concerning though is the lack of action taken by those in power who knew about the abuses. This shows that there was and is a mentality of coverup and not facing the truth which is the opposite of what Christ represented in living in the light and the truth.
Galatians 2:11-13 < our Apostle Paul openly deals with how Peter and
"even Barnabas" played the hypocrite. There is no cover-up and secrecy.
I think the child abuse is a symptom of the Catholic Church being a man-made religion that has strayed away from the true teachings of Christ.
Well, my personal idea is that our Apostle Paul has given us very clear standards for who is qualified to be a
"bishop". And it appears how a number of religious people have taken it on themselves to trash these standards. And in such disobedience, one can be deeply messed by
"the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" (in Ephesians 2:2). And in the darkness of this evil spirit, one can be unable to see whom one is trusting to be a pastor.
So, the problem is not only that someone has some wrong ideas, but if the person is disobeying God's standards which we have clearly presented in 1 Timothy 3:1-10. 1 Timothy 3:1-10 says a man
"must be blameless"; so I consider this means God expects us to become able to tell the difference; and certainly a pedophile predator is not blameless! If I can not tell the difference between a person who is blameless the way God's own love makes us blameless, versus how a predator is, then I have a major problem, I consider.
"And the predator is not my problem!!"
The secrecy and the power the church have accumulated have gone to their heads and some think they are untouchable.
People of Satan's kingdom take care of their own.
Groupthink sets in and before you know it some in the church begins to believe their own misguided beliefs and thinks that they are right and know best.
I used to be a person in denial about my religion. If something wrong showed up, I would just say that doesn't meet the standards, that person is wrong, and that does not make my religion wrong.
But I had evil spiritual roots witch had me in denial and really wrong emotional stuff and wrong ways of relating - - more trying to use people, instead of first caring for others.