Can we ever reconcile corruption with our Christian faith?

Amidst the bubble of public enthusiasm over the apostolic visit of Pope Francis, which begins tomorrow, this question asks itself because of the unresolved corruption scandals that have plagued and continue to plague the country, despite its apparent overflow of Christian piety. How could so much unbridled corruption, not to mention so many other grievous crimes, happen in this predominantly Catholic and God-fearing country?

The quickest anti-Christian knee-jerk has been to blame the Christian faith for it, by suggesting that corruption has become endemic because Christianity (specifically Catholicism) permits or even encourages it. They cite the sacrament of confession, which allows a wrongdoer to seek forgiveness for his sins by confessing them to a priest, as being principally responsible for it. Catholics do not mind committing the most grievous offense because they are confident of being easily pardoned for it, so the theory goes.