Chrizmart,
Your ironic point about an internal conversion has been at the heart of much of what this scandal has been about for me all along.  The church teaches that sacraments are outward signs of inward grace.  It calls us all to an internal transformation, conversion, and all of the other gifts of the spirit.  And yet, those who lead the church continue to refuse to adopt the much needed outward sign of an inward change of their own hearts when it comes to the scandal.  They've tried words, and that's part of the problem: all too often those words led to no change.  So we no longer trust those words.

That it took bad press and near universal outrage to get them to move at all should cause the bishops to pause and do some serious, reflection.  That we've seen so little of accountability suggests that inward change has yet to happen.

Yet, having lived through the Vatican II years, and experienced the hope and elation that followed, I will continue to hold on to hope...