When I read stories like this, I can only wonder why I stayed Catholic for as long as I did. In fact, I wonder why anyone remains loyal to this church. I'm sure folks have their reasons, but for me, what finally drove me out of the church was the sense that by my presence in the pew, I was sanctioning and colluding in this sort of institutional behavior.  Obviously, the ties of a lifetime are not easily broken (I still read NCR, for example), though I'm glad -- and also sad -- to have made the effort to move on.