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To: stellarfreedom
The problem here is that people are confusing pedophilia and ephebophilia. Pedophilia is an adult's sexual attraction to prepubescent children. Ephebophilia is an adult's sexual attraction to post-pubescent, yet not fully developed adolescents. The law treats both the same, but medically they are distinct disorders.

From what I have read, the evidence is overwhelming that there is no correlation between pedophilia and homosexuality. Anecdotally, if you look at the priest abusers who were true pedophiles, like Fathers Geoghan or Shanley in Boston, they abused both boys and girls.

However, there is a definite correlation between ephebophilia and male homosexuality. And that's why in the abuse scandal the overwhelming majority of the post-pubescent victims were boys.

The sex abuse scandal in the Church was mostly one of ephebophilia, not pedophilia, even if the most high profile cases were that of true pedophiles. Hence, since it is well-established that ephebophilia is correlated with male homosexuality, it is undoubtedly true that most of the abuse could have been avoided if the Church had kept homosexuals out out of the priesthood.

On the other hand, since true pedophilia is not related to homosexuality, you cannot use this scandal as grounds to exclude homosexuals from being kindergarden teachers, for example.

8 posted on 07/18/2007 11:23:22 AM PDT by curiosity
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To: curiosity
Your correct usage of the proper terms and distictions is a good clarifying outline. Would you mind going to the three closest Universities with departments of Journalism and giving a one day class?

Opps nevermind. To them they have already had indoctrination that it is the obvious repression of religion that is cuasing the abuse, so the education wouldn't take.

14 posted on 07/18/2007 12:48:19 PM PDT by KC Burke (Men of intemperate minds can never be free...their passions forge their fetters.)
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