Why did the scandal of sexual abuse by priests get covered up by bishops?

The instincts of many of the bishops was to see the accused priest as a brother (if close in age) or as a son (if not). These predator priests were in their "family" and as isolated as the bishops are from ordinary life, they viewed the victims as selfish whiners, exaggerators, or worse, liars, who threatened the reputation of the Church. They were unfortunate collateral damage.

This was my answer in a comment box over in Catholic Culture: News