[Taliesan]

I don't agree with those who say "celibacy is the problem" simplistically, as if no-one can expect males to not assault children if they have no consort, but I did find this historical argument strong:

Celibacy arose as just one component in a thoroughgoing theology of asceticism. The desert father who pioneered the practice of celibacy adopted it as just one part of a larger pattern of isolation and meditation, of fasting and other forms of mortification. When priests adopted celibacy, they brought with it some of this structure and most of its rationale. They were not set apart from other men by just one thing. In the monasteries, for instance, silence, isolated cells, long communal chanting of the office, and self-scourging were common. Cloistered men and women were cut off from worldly life in general, not just from sexual activity.

But, progressively, the celibacy of priests became not the expression of a whole ascetical form of life but a substitute for it.

[End Times Sentinel]

I don't agree with those who say "celibacy is the problem" simplistically, as if no-one can expect males to not assault children if they have no consort…

Some of the less meticulously thought out arguments state that if there was no vow of celibacy, there would be a larger pool of candidates for priesthood and thusly The Church could be more selective.

Of course, using that logic, you could drastically expand the pool of candidates by dropping being Catholic as a requirement.

Celibacy has NOTHING to do with this horrible perversion. The Church moving to the left and the infusion of those who have issues with judging the morality of others has everything to do with this issue.

Owl_Eagle

”Guns Before Butter.”

[Rodney King]

If celibacy caused pedophilia, then little girls would be getting molested as well. 90%+ of the victims are boys. Plus, most of these kids are teenagers, older than the normal pedophile target group.

The problem is not pedophilia, it is homosexuality. And the practice of not engaging in sexual acts can not possibly be the cause of sexual acts.

[The Cuban]

When did the editors of the boston globe get a theological degree? And further Questions

IS celibacy related to pedophilia?
Are general population pedophiles ussually celibate before they engage in pedophilia?
What percentage of the general population are pedophes?
Is this rate higher or lower among priests?
What percentage of pedophiles engage in otherwise non-celibate lifestyles?
These are the questions that should be asked but are not.

[ffrancone]

Most of the molestation (90% plus) was male on male. Two qustions:

(1) Assuming that the homosexual priests are celibate, isn't this an indictment of homosexual celibacy, at most.

(2) Why does the author assume that the homosexual priests who molest children are celibate? Seems to me that they are emphatically not celibate as to children. Why do we think they are celibate as to adults?

Seems to me what we have here is a problem of homosexuals (celibate or otherwise) in positions of authority with respect to boys.

The boy scouts do not have this problem. I suppose it could be because boy scout troop leaders are not required to be celibate. But I suspect strongly that it is because boy scout leaders may not be homosexual and, therefore, do not want to have sex with little boys.

[Bogie]

You're right. The confessions of Augestine had more to do with it. However, it seems that a culture of homosexuality has developed in America's Catholic Abbeys.

And, it seems as if it has been that way for a long time. As long as I can remember.

[Rodney King]

Not more than what is posted on FR.

[Campion]

How thoroughly will hell have to freeze over before we get an article from Garry Wills entitled "The Scourge of Homosexual Priests"?

Garry Wills is why I no longer give money to Northwestern University, my alma mater. The man has a heavy-duty anti-Catholic agenda.

[Randjuke]

Thanks for the post. There was a good article in the WSJ recently talking about this problem (sorry I don't have a link) which pointed out that only 6% of the world's Catholics are from the USA. The Boston Globe article fails to realize that, implying that because 80% of American Catholics think priests marrying is OK, the Vatican should automatically comply. Catholicism is truly a global religion, and the church must consider the effects of policy change on a global basis. Most of the current growth in the Catholic church is in the southern hemisphere, where I gather celibacy is considered a much important attribute.

The point that this really is much more of a homosexuality problem than a pedophilia problem also tends to be minimized in the press. As others have pointed out, 90% of those molested were male, most of those being older teens.

None of this excuses any sort of cover-up by the church, in my opinion those involved in a cover-up should be dealt with as severely as those who molested. The media, however, seems to be grabbing the opportunity to Catholic-bash (I am not Catholic by the way) once more, using the molestation problem to advance their already-held ideas.

[CasearianDaoist]

This is driving me NUTS!!!! Can we stop calling this "Pedophila" and start calling it for what it is: homosexual rape of teenage boys!

[Commander8]

The qualifications for a minister(The word used is Bishop.) Can be found in 1 Timothy Chapter 3 verses 1-7. Verse 2 says "A bishop must be blameless, THE HUSBAND OF ONE WIFE(my emphasis), vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality and apt to teach;" Verses 4 and 5 say "One that ruleth his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the Church of God?)" There you have it. Evidence from the Bible that prestly celibacy is a heresy against God's word.

[ThomasMore]

He wrote, Though being gay has nothing to do with pedophilia, and a gay ministry is increasingly being accepted in other religious denominations (which do not require celibate ministers), the claim of celibacy is obviously being hollowed out by sexual activity,

He has his facts wrong. HOMOSEXUALITY has EVERYTHING to do with this problem. 98% of all the abuse cases are with adolescent boys. It's called ephebophilia. Seeing that only men can be priests and its almost always boys that have been abused, the problem is homosexual. The media and liberals, in general, refuse to equate this with homosexuality because it will incriminate the whole lot of sodomites and exonerate the Boy Scouts of American for one.

[Aliska]

Makes one question the whole Christian experience down through the ages, no matter what one's denomination.

The author did not mention countless acts of cruelty committed by clergy and nuns where they had total control over the young.

I can't help it, but I'm left feeling that something perverted the whole structure long ago. You read in history where monasteries had to be cleaned up. Now I think this is probably what they needed to be cleaned up from. Homosexuality.

Those of us who were raised protestants were often under the yoke of the victorian era. I'm not slamming values and ideals. I still believe in all of them. I am slamming hypocrisy and abnormal repression of the human spirit in the name of religion.

[Salvation]

In Seminaries, New Ways for a New Generation

[shrinkermd]

The real problem here is homosexual priests screwing pre-pubescent and adolescent males. That is 95% plus of the cases. It is a legal problem for the Church to handle. That they haven't, doesn't speak well for their common sense.

Enforce the law, expect maturity from those who enter orders and remove all who break the law or who cannot adhere to a fixed and fierce moral code.

[Romulus]

OK, I've read the whole article. It the same old Wills routine: the Church needs to be democratic; the Church needs to conform to secular agendas; the Church is a cultural artifact that rightly should reflect the prevailing culture.

Wills's policy for saving the village: burn it.

[Romulus]

Another thing you can confirm by reading the whole article is that celibacy is a red herring. Towards the end of the article, he moves smoothly on to the backing ordination of women, typically perceiving the whole question as purely one of power.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

Without entering the fray on whether or not the religious should be celibate, let me share something from a slightly different perspective. The idea behind ascetism and celibacy is that one gives up the worldly to focus solely on the spiritual. The Hindu monks practice this also. I was told by a friend of mine who is a celibate Hindu monk, that he did not understand why the Catholic priests were not TAUGHT how to maintain celibacy. In the Eastern spiritual systems as well as mystical Christianity, the soul is viewed as an energy of God and what maintains the life force of the body. (I am oversimplifying here for many reasons) The practice of yoga in the East is not exercise but spiritual practice. The body and the spirit are intricately connected. The Hindu monks teach a certain yogic technique to "put out the fire below". In doing this they are able to convert sexual energy into available spiritual energy and avoid issues of lust and perversion.

[Petronski]

'The Scourging of Celibacy'--that title I could believe. But not to this bu||$h!t.

[Askel5]

A "scourge"?

How insulting -- not only to priests and religious -- but the many, many lay Catholics who lead celibate lives in comport with Catholic teaching.

Yes ... let's please hear them argue how the "scourge" of celibacy compares to AIDS, syphilis, Hep-C, Hep-B, children born out of wedlock ... even more children aborted.

Further, let's not forget to contrast the Judgment, Restrain and Self-Governance necessary to endure the thinking man's "scourge" of celibacy with the human pesticides, prophylactics and assorted accoutrement of Control which characterizes the "blessings" of being able to rut with Mr. Goodbar at the drop of a dime.

[saradippity]

In the bureaucracy when something surfaced that was to remain hidden from the taxpayers most usually,or from others in the system who had integrity,the response was to "bury it blithering blah-blah". If you could hide it and successfully change everyone's focus you might even get a promotion.

Wills wrote a piece that minimally contained 3,500 words and used the word "homoseexual" not more than 4 or 5 times.(I am legally blind so I might have missed an "h" word or two). I could not begin to count how many times he used the "c"(celibate) word. This is the clearest case of burying the root cause in bull sh-t and covering the pile with bright and shiny glitter. A real Potemkin's village,in the guise of a thoughtful,thought provoking essay.

I hope this will wake up some Catholics and Constitutional conservatives,who find it denigratating to be treated like an idiot.Thanks for posting it.