I don't believe so either. I think it has to be a matter of prediliction rather than desperation.

Largely people who hold to this follow old school psychology, that namely circumstances work on your unconscious to produce neurosis. They suppress sexual desire, so it manifests in unhealthy ways. Classic Freud.

Of course, Freud is largely discredited in the academic community but he lingers on in popular culture.

Well, I don't do PR for the Catholic Church, but yes, I do think you were saying somethig deliberately inflamatory and worthy of a pseudo-intellectual.

It is not unique to Irish Catholicism, but it is far more prevelant.

I think the desire to avoid scandal, and the fact that it is easier to forgive and accept people you know is much more likely.

I remember a pedophile in my home town of approx. 1000 people. He was accused of being touching a young boy and girl inappropriately when he was 17. Predictably he was a pariah at first, but as a few years passed he gradually was reintegrated with the wider community and largely forgiven. Sure, he will always have to reputation as a pervert, but it doesn't seem to have much in the way of repercussions. If someone is around, it is harder to demonize them.

So if you take an ideology that you are supposed to forgive and forget, believe the wrong psychologists, have a relatively bad records kept, and a insular culture where everyone knows the accused... well that explains a lot of it there. Not everything mind you (like why native reserves were used as dumping grounds for pedophile priests) but it explains a lot.

Well no, it is very difficult to prove that there is a conspiracy to promote predation or that there was willful criminal neglect, especially when it is hard to show what the responsibility of the Catholic Church should have been towards its parishoners or priests. This is rather uncharted legal territory after all. The best way would be through a well-thought out peice of legislation which would clarify the responsibilities of churches and other similar institutions, but I doubt if that will happen.

As for the punishment of priests in the courts, I don't think there was any favourtism was shown. Any light offenses for pedophile priests seems to mirror the light offenses given to pedophile sex offenders in general.