Nobody should be raping children. Roman Catholic priests have done this, are doing this, and the Roman Catholic church has a long and ongoing history of covering it up. If the head of the Roman Catholic church fails to stop it, they're blameworthy.
Something a pope could easily promise, but never will:
"We acknowledge our church has a history of sexual assault against children. Our church has sought to obscure this history of abuse. This was wrong, is wrong, and needs to be corrected. Sexual assault and abuses of power in the church are unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated. The church commits to fully funding local law enforcement investigations into all allegations of sexual assault by church staff, and disclosing any information the church may have that is relevant to those investigations. All victims must be heard. With victim consent, their stories will be recorded in a centralized, public, transparent record not administrated or controlled by the church in any way."
Any church that isn't afraid of raking in money in envelopes, but is afraid of making a commitment like the above, is a problem, yep, I agree. There's no excuse. Saying the pope doesn't have the power to do this is mealymouthed and also, incorrect.
I see what you mean, but I disagree that this is a misfire or miscalculation on the church's part. This latest development reads as another jab at gay people, from a familiar angle. It's a reaffirmation by the church that same sex couples who love each other aren't seen as equals in a congregation.