The Catholic Church is no stranger to sex scandals. The recent onslaught of scandals, though, appears to have tainted the holy water worse than ever before.In 2009, a report by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse was published which outlined the physical and sexual abuse of thousands of schoolboys across Ireland. Since January of this year, there have been over 170 cases of sexual abuse reported in Germany. And the sexual abuse of about 200 deaf schoolboys by a Milwaukee priest has also recently been uncovered.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, is connected to all of them.

During the time that these abuses were reported, Ratzinger was head of the Church body responsible for handling abuse allegations involving priests. According to The New York Times, only 20 percent of abuse allegations resulted in investigations during Ratzinger’s reign as head of this group.

People seem to be as upset about the lack of action by the Church as they are about the abuses themselves. However, the unwillingness to force trials and air the dirty laundry of the Church for the whole world to see is just the Catholic way.

As a graduate of a Catholic school and a member of a Catholic family, I’ve seen the fear of persecution that is common among Catholics. They believe that any admittance of wrongdoings or faults to secular society would be handing over the nails with which to crucify them.

So, they deal with any indiscretions within the safety of the Vatican walls. And they deal with them like Catholics – through confession.

At least, that was the case with Milwaukee priest Father Lawrence Murphy.

An investigation had been started regarding allegations against Murphy. It was stopped after Murphy wrote to Ratzinger requesting that he be allowed to die with the dignity of his robe.

For Catholics, repentance and penance to God carry far more weight than any mortal punishment ever could. The Church was simply exacting justice the way they believed was best. It just also happened to protect their public image for the immediate future.

I’m not justifying the actions of the Vatican. But I am saying that, as someone from a Catholic background, it is hard to expect anything different.

Catholics are taught that original sin can never be erased, which means they’re all sinners. So, the power of confession is something Catholics are taught to love and believe in deeply at a very early age. Who can blame them, then, when Catholic priests think they can confess away their indiscretions? And wouldn’t cardinals be hypocrites for not accepting their penances as valid?

That is the old-school Catholic mindset in its truest form. The pope’s response to these scandals, though, departs from that mindset in a major way – he’s talking about them.

The pope has issued an apology to the Catholics in Ireland. He referenced the scandals in his sermon on Palm Sunday. At Benedict’s urgings, Germany’s archbishop is having all reported cases of abuse prosecuted. A German national roundtable discussion is also being convened to talk about the issues. The pope is asking that all clergy, including himself, admit their wrongdoings publicly.

I’m certainly not heralding this as a Catholic revolution. I don’t expect the Church to suddenly knock down the Vatican walls and adopt a policy of complete transparency or anything ridiculous like that.

But maybe, just maybe, the church that thrives on the traditions and practices born along with the religion is beginning to embrace the modern world.

Who knows what’s next? Maybe they’ll get better-tasting Communion wafers or more comfortable pews.

No, those ideas are still probably a bit too radical.