Ping!
I agree!
Can this be true? Lower sexual abuse rates in the priesthood than in the general population?
If they’re raping then they ain’t celibate
CYA.
Also, I would think the comparison of clergy to the overall population would be less relevant that a comparison of clergy and non-celibate Christians (or Catholics). One would expect more depravity among the general population than among clergy.
SnakeDoc
It’s difficult for me to understand how Christ would expect all his vicars to be celibate for life.For periods of time,like Eastern Rite priests,absolutely...but not lifelong.And I believe that celibacy is at least indirectly responsible for the sex abuse stuff because it largely closes off the priesthood to “normal” men who,being normal,wouldn’t want to spend their whole life without the companionship of a woman.
Its the celibacy.
"oh, Mr. Smith was so nice and a great Boy Scout leader...he would never hurt anybody"..or...
"Father Smith was such a great guy and the loved the kids...he wouldn't hurt anybody"...
I have absolutely no reason not to suspect that all ministries and all groups that center on children or young men have pedophiles or homosexuals in their midst....
the bigger the group is, the more likelier....
throw in the fact that some people are looking for a big payday...why attack some little group when you can claim a priest 35 yrs ago abused you...the priest is dead and all you have to do is threaten to sue or sue...the anti-Catholics are just so eager to rip the church apart....
never do I condone any horrible actual acts...
I guess if marriage would be the norm for Catholic priests, than the homosexuals would go elsewhere for their cover....the military?
Can't be celibate if they are after whomever. Period.
Celibacy would imply there was no sexual contact.
The Catholic Church is (and has been) under attack by homosexuals, abortionists, and others because it will not grant the power of God to the State, nor swear fealty thereto. It is the Tudor question all over, only this time the Marxists, human secularists, and others are trying to defame the Church.
When one considers the number of homosexuals innvolved in the media who attack the Church, there just might be a reason: The Church is not giving in to their agenda.
The most probable pedophiles in order are:
Fathers
Teachers
Coaches
Protestant ministers
Priests are way down on the list.
So if a Father is a teacher of mid-high history, coaches the girl’s basketball team and is a youth minister at his church on weekends/Sundays — watch out! He would be much more prone to pedophilia that any priest.
I think the real problem is that with such a shortage of priests, candidates are not being properly vetted to weed out those who have the mental problems that lead to abuse.
Where is the shame, the repentance? The conscience?
Because of the parish to which I belong, and, by virtue of this, the choir, I know a lot of seminarians. The majority of them say that they begin to feel the call to the priesthood in their teens. This is contrary to our modern understanding of personality development. They are answering a call, one that's very strong. Do I believe any of these guys are gay - NO. Not even. Not a one. This year, six more will join them as priests, although this class has a lot of men who have come to the priesthood in midlife. These guys see this as a marriage.
There are eight, nine, ten times more honest, good priests than those who abuse the young and give in to temptation of the sexual sort. Most of the latter aren't really socially savvy. An old family friend knew one who was accused recently and said this guy really wasn't socially with it at all. Even if he wasn't a priest, what he did might have occurred. I could see that with at least one other abuser who was laicized.
Celibacy is considered to be a sacrifice in and of itself. Not only that, there are many people called to the single life and not the religious who are celibate, so I have my doubts that that is the problem. Weakness and giving into temptation - that's something else. It takes a certain strength to be a priest and sometimes there are chinks in the armor. Sad, but it's always been this way. I doubt this argument will ever die, either, but there is something to be admired about a man who gives up what the world considers "normal" for the life of a priest. This is why I pray for them daily. The challenges are different, but the life isn't easy.