Guilt by association in the 21st century If you think Catholic lay people are upset about the sex abuse scandal in the church, what about the clergy? In the United States today, priests number about 45,000. How many have been implicated in the scandals? Too many, but percentage-wise not many. However, regardless of how blameless a life they lead, all the rest have to be thinking everyone is looking at them suspiciously, wondering if they're child molesters. Here's what one central Wisconsin parish priest had to say: "If I'm wearing my collar out in public these days, I'm literally afraid to even look at a child for fear that some adult is going to suspect my motives. In fact, I've found myself avoiding eye contact with anyone when out in public with the collar on. They might suspect that I'm eyeing them up for nefarious reasons." Guilt by association, 21st century style. - George Rogers