Although most of those responsible for the abuse are dead, I would still like to see those involved in the cover-up prosecuted, or at least some evidence of contrition and shame on the part of the Catholic church , not just mealy-mouthed, arrogant platitudes. Who the hell do they think they are?

I’m pleased that this subject has at last made headlines; it may cause some people to question their support of religion.

However, does anyone care to wager that no-one will be charged over this?

I agree with Iago and Petursey; never again should the RCC be allowed any access to children through schools, orphanages or anything else they may run; they should be shut down and barred from all and everything related to children and young people, and the Vatican should be forced to open its coffers and dispense its billions of dollars of profit in way of compensation to every single person it has abused over the decades.
The Pope should be made to stand and face charges for crimes against humanity, stretching back centuries, and he and his stinking institution should be thrown down, and its wealth distributed to the poor, especially to child victims of theirs and to the people of Africa riddled with AIDS due to their 'no condom' dogma.

The Pope should be shunned by all world governments (and if this would ever really happen) and crowds bussed in to boo, jeer and throw rotten eggs at the bastard whenever he makes his grand window appearances in St Peter's square. It's time this rotten edifice was pulled down and exposed as the corrupt, vile and abusive seat of inhumanity that it is. It is time!

Whether they're abusing children with their claptrap Jebus rubbish.. or doing even worse as described above they have proved beyond doubt that they have a culture of protecting true evil and stopping justice and what is right in order to protect an image of infallibility and protectionism of their "celibate" twisted abusers..

They are sick and should be banned, stopped, banished, and shut down..simple as that.