The boil that was able to stay covered for so long is starting to spread. And this time it’s leaving more than just an ugly surface mark – it’s threatening to disfigure an entire entity.

Priest pedophilia has resurfaced on the Roman Catholic Church’s public face.

However, this isn’t the first time the church has faced the transgressions of its holy representatives under the eye of public scrutiny.

This is the first time it has been recognized as a serious, continuing problem that needs truthful answers and realistic solutions – fast.

The layers of deceit and coverup surrounding this issue are being ripped away with every document the Archdiocese of Boston releases. The feeling of distrust among American Catholics toward their church and its leaders grows each day the cardinals, meeting inside the Vatican, refuse to fully recognize pedophilia as a problem, no matter what the age of the victim. It grows every day Cardinal Bernard Law, leader of the Boston archdiocese, stays holed up in a Vatican apartment, hiding from the decisions he made and the responsibility he must take for them.

The Catholic Church, the largest organized Christian religion in the world, is facing a wake-up call of international proportions.

The unquestioned authority of its leaders is being scrutinized by people who have followed its tenets and doctrines their entire lives.

What else are American Catholics supposed to do?

Their priests, the men responsible for helping them toward a more God-like life, have raped their children and lied about it. They have considered themselves above the law, and the very church whose doctrines they profess and teach.

They have disgraced the work and spirit of thousands of U.S. Catholic priests who are fulfilling their vows to the fullest extent, acting as mentors, volunteers and spiritual advisers to thousands of Catholics.

They need to be held accountable for their actions – not only by the church, but also by a court of law. Law should not be allowed to hide behind the robes of his cardinal’s cloak – he needs to answer the people he put in harm’s way. And he, along with the Vatican and the church as a whole, needs to apologize.

The church also needs to address the issue of ordaining priests who may have tendencies toward pedophilia. This does not necessarily mean changing the Catholic view on homosexuality, allowing priests to marry or allowing women to be ordained. While these changes would be welcomed by many Catholics, they wouldn’t change the root problem of pedophilia, a mental illness.

What is needed is a mandatory, thorough screening of candidates for the priesthood. Many dioceses already have a screening process in place for seminarians; this should be made mandatory on an international level.

Catholicism’s traditions and tenets have survived for centuries. The church has survived corruption and deceit before but with ugly marks on its history.

Let’s hope the church recognizes this as the boil it is. A simple cosmetic cover-up won’t fix it this time.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Charlie Weaver, Omar Tesdell