Almost all the victims were post-pubescent teenage boys,
which doesn't fit the description of "pedophilia".
If this were truly a "pedophilia" problem involving pre-pubescent children, which it is not, then heterosexuals would be as likely to offend as homosexuals. Since post-pubescent teen boys were overwhelmingly the victims, nearly all the wayward priests involved were homosexuals. The church has a particular problem with homosexual priests.
You site the catholic catechism saying that homosexuals are called to chastity and that unjust discrimination should be avoided.
The church calls everyone to stop sinning, and says no one should be unjustly discriminated against.
But priests are justly called to a higher standard than laity. The celibacy vow poses an extra challenge. The bible explicitly details quite a high standard for Bishops, one much higher than that for the laity.
Alcoholics are called to sobriety, and the church also feels they should not be unjustly discriminated against. Keeping them out of the priesthood is not unjust, doing so protects both the Church and laity. (Bishops could make an exception for an inspiring repentant one they had great confidence in). High standards are a good thing. Protecting our teenage children from sexual abuse is not unjust, and being a priest is not a right.
A few seminaries may have been particularly wayward in tolerating ongoing homosexuality. The situation might not only involve those trying and succeeding to be repentent.
Respectfully agree.
Pedophilia has lately been miss-applied to any deviance involving Older/Younger liasons. Just as older men are attracted to younger girls, the wayward HOMOSEXUAL priests were attracted to younger boys. Clinically, genuine pedophilia is an extremely rare affliction.
Well said.
I do not believe that not allowing a homosexual into the priesthood is unjust. As you said, you do not have a right to be a priest, it is a privelage that should be given to those most Holy and whose lives and souls closely mirror that of Christ's.
What do people want from the catholic church? They are trying to solve the problems that are currently going on in the Church. They have admonished the Bishop's responsible for the cover-ups, and now they are trying to weed out potential victimizer's.
Let us step back and look at the situation at hand. The children being assaulted are mostly boy's(teenage), and they are being assaulted by the priest's not the nun's. There is a real problem in the clergy when it comes to those with homosexual tendencies be it latent or outright.
You cannot argue that "celibacy" is the root cause of the assault's because as I said, the victim's are boy's assaulted by men, not girl's assaulted by men.