Most Catholics in the US were keenly aware of the abuse issues, it’s just that they didn’t talk about it openly, and the media was loathe to cover it for fear of being labeled anti-Catholic, as she was.
Source: My mother was a Catholic nun for 15 years before leaving the convent to marry my dad, also a devout Catholic. I was an altar boy, went to Catholic schools through High School, and grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. It was well known among the church and school communities which priests to steer clear of and why.
Most Catholics in the US were keenly aware of the abuse issues, it’s just that they didn’t talk about it openly, and the media was loathe to cover it for fear of being labeled anti-Catholic, as she was.
Source: My mother was a Catholic nun for 15 years before leaving the convent to marry my dad, also a devout Catholic. I was an altar boy, went to Catholic schools through High School, and grew up in the 80’s and 90’s. It was well known among the church and school communities which priests to steer clear of and why.