The current sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church isn’t easy to write about. And I haven’t even talked about it to anyone other than my husband, though it’s been on my mind every day. I’m afraid something I might say will either do further damage to the Church or will be dismissive of the harm done to victims, and I don’t want to do either. It’s a narrow road.

I love the Catholic Church. Love it. So I have to be aware of the temptation to minimize the crimes perpetrated by certain clergy in my desire to protect the Church’s reputation. In his article “How the Internet is Loosening Our Grip on the Truth,” Farhad Manjoo discusses how we filter evidence through our own biases. Applying the idea to the issue of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, people who love the Church are tempted to minimize the harm done, while those who dislike it are tempted to condemn the entire Catholic Church because of the crimes of some of its clergy. Both are wrong.

So what do you do when you love the Church but are heartbroken and devastated by the actions of some of its members? The right thing to do is be honest. Admit that there are people in the church who have committed terrible crimes and share your true feelings about it. You’re not betraying the Church by doing so. And if you don’t love the Church? Remember that it’s wrong to stereotype all Catholic priests as criminals. The majority of priests are good men who have dedicated their lives to serving God.

Those who write for a public audience have a duty to be fair and honest. I will try my best to be both and, as a reader, I hope others will as well. Saint Frances de Sales, patron saint of writers, pray for us!