FIFA and the Vatican again: How to change without changing

I've recently written about the similarities between FIFA and the Vatican in how they deal with being caught red-handed. Now because of their recent PR disasters, both organizations have proposed some rule changes. Those changes are further evidence of their similarity, in that they do not even come close to addressing the heart of the problem.

For FIFA, the problem is the inexplicably stubborn refusal to allow referees to use video replays in their decision-making process. This refusal has drawn new and incredibly strong criticism during the recent World Cup, especially after the Germany-England calamity (FIFA's general secretary admitted that when TV stations all over the world were showing replays of Frank Lampard's goal seen by everyone on the planet except the referee, it was a "very bad day" for the organization). FIFA hints that it will introduce goal-line technology (i.e. electronic sensors that will detect if the ball touches the ground behind the goal-line), as well as possibly two additional side referees whose only job will be to watch the goal-line. Those are all good moves, but until video replays are allowed (and FIFA still refuses to do so), the main problem will remain. Mistakes as to which side of the goal-line the ball touches the ground on are only a small percentage of blatant refereeing mistakes. Until video replays are allowed, nothing will change.

On to the Vatican. The church has recently issued new rules as to how the hierarchy is supposed to deal with allegations of child abuse. The new rules give the pope the power to defrock a priest without full canonical trial, extend the church's own statute of limitations from 10 to 20 years, as well as make possession of child pornography a canonical crime, which it wasn't before. This is laughable. For all the rest of us non-frock-wearing mortals, things like child molestation, possession of child pornography, and aiding and abetting a person suspected of child molestation, are felonies, and ones that carry very, very long prison sentences with them. Until priests suspected of molesting children, possessing child pornography, and/or not informing the authorities of child abuse they know is happening are prosecuted to the full extent of the criminal, not canonical law, nothing will change.