Child-abusing Irish Nuns

It appears that Catholic priests and male members of religious orders weren't the only elements of the church involved in massive, systemic child abuse in Ireland. An order of Catholic nuns, the apparently misnamed Sisters of Mercy, agreed to pay 128 million euros to "compensate child abuse survivors."

The Congregation, exposed along with 17 other orders for imposing physically and psychologically abusive regimes in state-run institutions, said the offer was an attempt to be faithful to values of reparation, reconciliation, healing and responsibility.

Well, better late than never I guess. But with the extent of the abuse uncovered in Ireland, you have to wonder if the abusive treatment of children wasn't somehow the result of church policy. After all, it wasn't just one group or one school, but eighteen separate orders including nuns. It's pretty hard to believe that all those different organizations were running abusive schools without the knowledge and at least tacit approval of the Catholic church in Ireland.