And I believe that God will be more compassionate and merciful in the way he judges and forgives us than we are in the way we judge each other. I have no doubt that God often uses weak and flawed human beings as his instruments of grace. I think we should be ready to accept the repentance of any and all sinners who ask the forgiveness of God, his people and all who have been hurt by their sins. But it is also true, and our experience shows us, that some addictions and emotional or mental ills are not easily healed or overcome. Some conditions require long and serious therapy.
Some conditions are so deep-seated there seems little hope of a definitive recovery or cure.
Most members of Alcoholics Anonymous, for instance, speak of themselves as recovering alcoholics. Struggling with that addiction is a lifetime activity. We know, too, that some sex addictions do not easily give way to cure. To move priests, monsignors or bishops from one post to another without addressing their basic problem does them no good and only creates more harm. Keeping acts and crimes secret without dealing with root causes only exposes more people to risk and harm.