Two cardinals blame 'plague of the homosexual agenda' for clerical sexual abuse

Lakryte · Feb 20, 2019

That Catholic Church's corrupt agenda of denying, covering up, and excusing sexual abuse is the problem, not some made up "homosexual" agenda (whatever that means).

Stealers Wheel · Feb 21, 2019

Lakryte said:
That Catholic Church's corrupt agenda of denying, covering up, and excusing sexual abuse is the problem, not some made up "homosexual" agenda (whatever that means).

Sexual abuse of a child is a crime. Why does the church not treat it as such?

I believe that states ought to pass laws that mandate that clerics, priests, rabbis, pastors, church secretaries, etc., must report suspicions of child abuse of any kind. There needs to be penalties for covering up or looking the other way (think Joe Paterno at Penn State).

In my state ALL LICENSED HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS and TEACHERS and SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS are required to report suspicion of child abuse of any kind. Law enforcement and CPS investigates. It should be the same for religious leaders.

soylentgreen · Feb 21, 2019

jnug said:
Having remembered what it was like to be young ONCE, I actually think the thing that drives the numbers is that some young men certainly in my age demographic mistook a lack of interest in the opposite sex on their part as part and parcel of what was and may still be called "The Calling" to the priesthood. In fact, for many of them their lack of interest in the opposite sex was not part and parcel of a strong Calling. It was simply the early inklings of their homosexuality at a time when there was no real way to express it.

Many Catholic parents would think that was it exactly. That their son's lack of interest in the opposite sex was something of a sign that he was being called to the priesthood and they would push that at him just at a time when the kid was trying desperately to figure out what this was that he could not explain and that seemed to be "a problem".

Ultimately, they became homosexuals stuck in a reverse collar and making the "best" of a bad situation to the detriment of many many many boys, teenagers and young adults. They became Priests that would get no help from the Church beyond being moved around to mask issues they created amongst their "flock".

I am truly disappointed in the way the Church has handled this whole issue. Here I was chastising Northam for not having made a nit's worth of progress between 1984 and 2019 regarding Southern tropes about race relations. Here we have two Cardinals and a Pope by the way that suggest given all the other evidence that the Church has not made a nit's worth of progress for a few centuries at least as it relates to this topic.

And yes, the whole celibacy issue is a big deal as that is what starts the whole process of segregating out young men that are likely homosexuals as mistaken candidates for the priesthood.

I have yet to see any significant statistics to back up this baseless claim of yours. The priesthood is rife with peadophiles and rapists but no one has mentioned homosexual activity is an going problem.

jnug · Feb 23, 2019

soylentgreen said:
I have yet to see any significant statistics to back up this baseless claim of yours. The priesthood is rife with peadophiles and rapists but no one has mentioned homosexual activity is an going problem.

A study was conducted in 14 states measuring the rate of homosexuality in the priesthood. It has been statistically measured at 6 times the rate of the general population and the rate in the general population is much higher than many puritanical minds can possibly fathom.

That said, Homosexuality and Pedophilia are not the same things. Driving a young man into the priesthood just because he is exhibiting what SOME parent thinks is an insufficient interest in the opposite sex creates frustrated homosexuals and frustrated heterosexuals trapped in a reverse collar in an organization that offers NOTHING to help them beyond shuffling them between parishes as if moving the problem offers any chance of solving the problem.

Celibacy is an abnormal human condition and it is ripe with the opportunity for frustration to come to full bloom. "Committing" to celibacy dooms one to swimming upstream for the remainder of his or her life. Combine that with the tendency for Catholic parents to treat priests like they are babysitters and you have created a chemical formula for disaster.

But the problem at least in my generation more often than not started with some parent being overexercised because Little Johnny does not fit their preconceived notions about sexuality and then trying to shoehorn Little Johnny into a model that fits the parent's sensibilities.

TheParser · Feb 23, 2019

Let's tell it as it is: If gay men were prohibited from becoming priests, the Church would be hard pressed to find enough priests for its churches.

Most heterosexual men are not interested in leading celibate lives.

Maybe the solution is obvious:

a. Let priests marry.
b. Let women become priests.

PTF · Feb 25, 2019

lwf said:
Why gay priests? Do you know how many of the molestation victims were girls? Do you think it's less than half?

Oh yawn...yawn.
(bisexual) priest (gay) priest,they're all the same. They have been doing this stuff for years,maybe centuries. I'll bet they have been hitting on young seminarians as well.

PTF · Feb 25, 2019

JacksinPA said:
They are attempting to conflate homosexuality with pedophilia. My wife knows a number of gay men & none of them are pedophiles.

Don't think a (gay) priest or anyone will say to your wife I'm a pedophile,fly me.

lwf · Feb 25, 2019

PTF said:
Oh yawn...yawn.
(bisexual) priest (gay) priest,they're all the same. They have been doing this stuff for years,maybe centuries. I'll bet they have been hitting on young seminarians as well.

But not straight priests?