Systemic church misconduct punished underlings while their leaders escaped accountability

Evidence

The veil of secrecy and moral compromise operated throughout the church hierarchy. Although the problem was systemic, as is usually the case, it was the underlings in the hierarchy who were indicted and who served prison time. The leaders of the archdiocese of Kansas City, where the abuse occurred, claimed no recollection of previous charges of abuse. Although the sexual crimes violated civil law, not a single clergyman broke rank and reported the crimes to civil authorities. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 514

Categorization

• XREF: This echoes the ‘crimes of obedience’ and the Eichmann/banality dynamic — diffusion of responsibility lets each layer claim it merely followed or merely ordered. Also speaks to the general pattern of scapegoating lower ranks in ‘just following orders’ scandals.