I thought you expressed yourself extraordinarily well.
I didn't come from a Catholic background. But my sense over the years is that priests and also nuns are very much revered. That if little Jimmy came home and said, Mom, Father Smith is messing with me, little Jimmy would not be believed. In fact, little Jimmy would have been admonished and/or punished by mom and dad for lying about Father Smith.
I was raised "in the church". That is, it was important to my mother that we attend church. But none of her child rearing was ever abdicated to, say, the pastor or junior pastor or youth minister and the like. Now, if ever I had come to her and said, Mom, Pastor Smith is messing with me, I don't know what she would have done. At least I feel like while it would have been a complete mind torque for her, my mom would have had MY back rather than believe in ANY adult over me. That is a night and day difference from how all those little Jimmys who DID tell someone about Father Smith and were not only not believed but told they were liars by the church. My parents never let me down. It's why I still wear my mom's ashes around my neck and my dad's class ring on my finger whenever I leave the house.