That’s where police departments send cops who can’t be trusted to deal with the public. By contrast, the Northwest Order of Jesuits protected its misbehaving priests in Alaska, where they molested 43 Native kids. At least that’s the allegation in a lawsuit naming Seattle University president Stephen Sundborg as a defendant. It’s all of a pattern for the Catholic Church, which has paid out hundreds of millions in settlements to abused parishioners. Of course, the reason they can’t hide bad priests in desk jobs is that they don’t have enough priests. And the incentives to join the priesthood keep getting weaker. Celibacy remains a deterrent for most applicants, and has increasingly less value as a refuge for conflicted gay men, as social acceptance of homosexuality means fewer gay men are conflicted. Moreover, massive settlements have led to parish closures and consolidations, which makes for unhappy parishioners who aren’t going to be happy about anything the Church sends them, new priest included.And what about female priests? The army’s about to start taking gays, Catholic Church–maybe you ought to catch up with the times as well. Your clever observation that Jesus’ disciples were male notwithstanding, the church has a proud history of identifying opportunities. Indulgences and glittering palaces don’t just happen on their own. So what do you say, New Pope? Let’s let the ladies in.