As @stanleybmanly notes, it’s not as simplistic as some would like to see it. I’m sure that the Catholic hierarchy sees it as more of an issue of “protecting the priesthood itself” than of protecting and shielding misbehaving priests. (Assuming they even believe all of the reports – or listen to them in the first place.)
It’s similar to what a lot of police departments do to close ranks and defend cops that they know to be bad actors – it signals to the rest of the force that “If we’ll protect this asshole whom you all know to be an asshole, then consider how far we will go to protect the good actors, if that’s necessary.”
It’s a bureaucratic failure more than anything else.