Catholic priests are not unusual. The Church is seen as a cash cow by unscrupulous ambulance chasers and "trauma counselors" eager to fleece the flock. Fr. MacRae describes one lawyer who has brought hundreds of cases against the Church often seeking dead priests to accuse, since they are no longer here to defend themselves. Some on diocesan websites listed as "credibly accused" are innocent. One in my own diocese who remains on the list was exonerated. Some of his brother priests who wanted his name removed objected but it remains on the list to this day.
I suspect that bishops eagerly add to the list of "credibly accused" to show how vigilant they are to protect the flock. Perhaps they feel it exonerates them for moving priests around to abuse again, lying to victims and their parents, and covering up criminal abuse. In too many cases any priest accused is presumed guilty unless proved innocent. That's a little difficult for accusations that are decades old and have no evidence except the word of someone who stands to gain big bucks for the accusation.
