Dan - I was not addressing the issue of forgiveness. I was responding to agnes1975's comment that it is very, very strange that this never came up in the diocesan or seminary vetting.  I am totally fine with forgiveness and in a comment below I call out the reporter who discovered this and the way she made his past so public without taking to the priest first.  I know in my life that one could certainly go back far less than 40 years to find something very, very embarrassing about me.  It is not for me to sit and judge.  In fact, I am sure that he has suffered​ greatly with this burden.  We are not punished for our sins, we are punished by our sins.