The good people at the U.S. Catholic Church have a problem on their hands: For the past year, they’ve been inundated with accusations that some priests have sexually abused children. If this weren’t bad enough, victims claim that church leaders have ignored the problem and have instead moved known pedophile clerics from parish to parish.

But now bishops are trying to fix the church’s big crisis. In June, they convened in Dallas and came up with this policy: If “a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor is made, the alleged offender will be relieved of any ecclesiastical ministry or function.” Translation: Once a priest is accused, he either leaves the ministry or joins a monastery.

Friday, the Vatican issued a letter opposing the policy. Why? It was too vague and confusing. What constitutes a “credible” allegation? And what of due process for priests? Now the U.S. Church needs to figure out how to proceed, since most dioceses have already put the policy in place.

As an agnostic, I look at this church sex scandal and have to ask myself: If God is so good and if God is so great, why are some of his servants being so sick and being so bad? The BBC reports that more than 300 cases have been filed and nearly 250 priests have resigned or have been suspended since the sex abuse scandal began.

So far, Evanston and the North Shore haven’t had to deal with such accusations. After a few calls to various parishes around town, it seems there have been no accused priests in our neck of the woods — phew.

But knowing there are priests out there like John Geoghan – the now convicted pedophile/former Boston priest who is accused of sexually molesting about 150 children – hasn’t helped me become any more of a believer.

I’m the type of person who calls on God when the plane I’m on is about to take off – you know, just in case. I’m the type of person who vainly says, “Oh, God help me,” when I have too much stuff to do and I feel like I can’t do it all.

I’m the type of person who isn’t ruling out the fact that there might actually be some god or God, that there might be the slightest possibility that there’s something else greater up there in the big blue sky.

But as of now, I haven’t been given any proof that there is a God, and the fact that people who have devoted themselves to the Big Guy for life are molesting boys in churches and rectories isn’t persuading me to think He or She exists.

Apparently, my skepticism makes me a bad person, maybe even worse than pedophile priests because God can’t forgive you if you don’t believe in Him. Last week, my Jewish roommate, who listens to a Christian radio talk show, relayed the message that agnostics are more offensive to God than atheists are. Because to us agnostics, God has failed to prove He exists. Only problem is, God can’t fail at anything because He’s perfect.

It doesn’t look like agnostic people like me are going to be getting Godly proof any time soon. The church’s big problem continues to keep on brewing. The Boston Globe reported earlier this month that 16 men and a teenage boy filed more lawsuits against Geoghan and the church officials who supervised him. How are people like me suppose to think that He exists if his servants continue to be bad, bad boys?

Kristina Francisco is a Medill senior. She can be reached at [email protected].