Religion

still in existence today, it is of course "unprecedented" but hardly unique.

The sexual abuse of women patients by male physicians--most especially psychiatrists--was pretty much always covered up and excused by the profession. It wasn't until feminists in the 1980s and '90s began to raise their voices, and more women became doctors and had access to boards of review, that this even began to change. And considering that all physicians take an oath "to do no harm" I'd say that's pretty hypocritical (but not Hippocratical) as well.

But in terms of a world-wide organization with a long history, the RCC is head and shoulders above any other institution when it comes to the extent of its crimes and the depravity of its cover up. Of that there can be no question.

Having said that, it seems to me that this sort of abuse and cover-up is evident in ANY institution led by men, where male culture is predominant. Fraternities and organized sports, political parties, male dominated professions such as medicine and higher education, law enforcement, popular entertainment, the military... anywhere you find men in unquestioned or nearly unquestioned power, that's where you'll find sexual abuse. Not that women can't be abusers, and men victims, but from what I've seen the overwhelming proportion of abusers happen to be men.

Which again to me begs the question--why? What is it about the male of the species that enables this dynamic to be repeated again and again and again? Is it simply a question of power? But then, why do so many men who aren't abusers stand aside? "The casting couch" was a well known fact of life in movies--an industry which has existed since 1910--and yet it wasn't until nearly a century later that the issue was treated as a serious problem.

The Roman Catholic Church is the most extreme, egregious example, but even if the RCC had never existed, I doubt the reality of male sexual violence against women and children would be much different. We seem in these discussions to tip toe around that unpleasant reality, which may in itself be a part of the problem.