I dunno. Every person I ever knew who went to catholic Primary schools got the crap beaten out of them by nuns with long rulers. And were threatened with hell fire and damnation while it happened to them.
I actually have a scar on my left hand from Sister Mary discipline's ruler, but i would hardly describe it as having the "crap beat out of" me. NOR do I believe that 10 out of 11 priests were child molesters...neither do I believe that it was so rampant and endemic that "EVERYONE" knew, or was in a position to do anything about it. Hell's bells...I'm not sure that I believe it was as "rampant and endemic" as has been reported. "Regression Therapy" is not an exact science. When the first few came to light, it became a "bandwagon" for people to jump on. When's the last time a bandwagon went past that people DIDN'T jump on? It was the 50's. Things were different. As well, the Church of Rome's involvement..(or lack thereof)..in the Holocaust is being re-examined.
In the early days of our republic, the school systems in the Colonies and our frontiers were founded by churches. New York city's schools were founded by the Quakers. Their "textbook"? The KJ Bible. When the Protestant hold on the schools was overturned, riots broke out. The Methodist who were running other school systems had NO compunction about the old "spare the rod" rules. Same goes for the Lutherans in other areas. I would think, though, that the pacifist Quakers of NYC might have been a little more "civilized"...Civilized? Is THAT the correct word? Well, in light of the way we view ourselves in the 21st Century... yes, I believe it is.
In light of the O.P., I saw that episode on History dot. I enjoyed it.