Popes, Puppies and Pedophiles

A reader writes in to ask if I see any parallel between the Kennel Club's mess and the pedophilia scandals that continuously rock the Catholic Church. 

My reply:

Very much the same, at least in response. Deny the problem forever... then admit there is some small problem... but limited to some situation somewhere... then offer up mild regret but take no action... make no admission of where the problem is actually seated... while suggesting the problem is probably happening all over, and it's simply discrimination that one player is being singled out and highlighted in this instance. Of course, if you strike to the bone, both scandals are also about denying the laws of nature. One side thinks you can put sex on a shelf; the other side thinks natural selection is a mistake man can fix. And finally, both sides wrap themselves in the myopia of their own unexamined convictions. Never mind that the Catholic Church used to allow priests to marry, and no one seems to think those early church leaders are roasting in hell. A married priest is wrong and impure; nothing but a fallen sinner like the rest of us! Never mind that the best breeds were forged outside of the Kennel Club's closed registry system. A cross-bred dog is wrong and impure; nothing but a mutt, same as found at the pound. And finally, they are similar in one more aspect. In both cases, we are supposed to trust the "priests" who got us into this mess to sort it out. And never mind that these same priests are often participating in the evil themselves. Never mind that these same priests have stood silent, hands in pocket, denying all for fifty years, and never mind that even now they move to minimize the problem and sweep it under the rug. Now, we are told, they are going to lead the parade for change.

Right. It could happen. Past is not always prologue. You will pardon me, however, if I keep my expectations low when it comes to pedophiles and puppy peddlers. .