I have often wondered but did not know who to ask. The thread maybe will answer some of them.Were the abuse confined to boys or were girls also molested? Were Nuns also sexually abuse? Why does this seem to be common for Catholic priests? I grew up in the late 40s and had many Catholic friends but there was never a hint of this, must date back to then.

Ike, it's common across any organization that values the organization's reputation and/or cash flow over the well being of the people in their care.

It's a problem in the catholic church
It's a problem in the ELCA.
It's a problem in the Southern Baptist Conference.
It's a problem for the Boy Scouts of America
It's a problem for the Penn State Athletic Dept.
It's a problem for both past and aspiring Speakers of The House
It's a problem for whomever we're contracting with to house the various immigrant children we've kidnapped.

Predators gravitate to positions of trust where they have access to victims, be it boys, girls, nuns, the elderly, the incarcerated.

And it's always been this way.

Agree, but you seem to have missed the point of my questions with no answers.