THE PRIEST SCANDAL ISN’T JUST ABOUT SEX

Sexual abuse of minors by priests is once again making national headlines.  Common wisdom, outside the church hierarchy at least, is that priests' sexual issues, their struggles with celibacy and the pervasiveness of homosexuality in a culture of celibacy, must have led them all astray.  The tendency is to conceal sexual misconduct by persons in positions of authority occurs all the time in many different venues - in families, the workplace, schools and doctors' and therapists' offices.  Neither the abuse nor the cover-up is really so surprising.