Posted on 01/03/2002 3:41:25 AM PST by dtom
Time to Abolish Clerical Celibacy FrontPageMagazine.com | January 3, 2002 FATHER ARTHUR CARRAHER is a Roman Catholic priest in Toronto. He has just recently confessed to being a child molester. He faces seven charges of indecent assault in Dublin, Ireland.
Tragically, this 79-year-old criminal might avoid justice, because it looks like he will live out his final days in Canada. Already ill, this individual benefits from the fact that bureaucrats have yet to ratify an extradition treaty that would force him back to Ireland. It is clear that "Father" Carraher settled in Canada to avoid punishment for his crimes. His victims, meanwhile, whose lives he shattered at a young age, cry out for justice. This outrage is just another reminder of the serious problem that has grown within the Catholic Church as a result of the imposition of clerical celibacy. I am a Catholic. I believe in the Church. I have also had the privilege of meeting, and befriending, many Catholic priests in my life - and a large proportion of them are obviously pious people who are not child abusers. Having said that, I must say that, as a Catholic, I can no longer stay silent about the pathology that the enforcement of celibacy has caused within the Church. Forced clerical celibacy simply has to go. It is directly connected to the widespread existence of pedophilia and homosexuality in the priesthood. Many of my fellow Catholics will be outraged at me for raising this issue. But I am far more concerned about the victims who have had their lives and identities destroyed for a lifetime, than I am about making some people uncomfortable about bringing this taboo subject up for discussion. Let?s get one thing straight: enforced celibacy has nothing to do with Christian theology. That?s why it was never an enforced rule for priests until the 11th century, when the Church officially mandated it for completely non-theological reasons. Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) banned priests from being married because he wanted to solve the problem of their families inheriting Church property. Anyone with half a brain would have known that Pope Gregory?s act was going to invite a tremendous evil into the Church. I mean, think about it: does it really take a rocket scientist to figure out what will happen to males in an institution that forbids them from getting married? Let me give you a little hint: ponder what happens to a male?s mind and body after he goes through puberty. Now consider the consequences of a male repressing, and not having an outlet for, the natural feelings and desires that he will subsequently live with for the rest of his adult life. Perhaps some people don?t need sex. Fair enough. But it needs to be a voluntary decision. Is it really a surprise that criminals like "Father" Carraher emerge and that they destroy the lives of many innocent human beings? Of course Carraher must accept personal responsibility for what he did. After all, the majority of priests are obviously ethical people who do not hurt young boys - notwithstanding their celibacy. But this does not mean that we should ignore the pathology that is engendered by enforced celibacy. In recent years, reports of Catholic priests sexually abusing children have come to light in virtually every major U.S. city. Yet the Church continues to refuse to deal with this problem in a serious way. It?s time it did. The fact is that when women are demonized, pathology always emerges. It is so ingrained in many Catholic priests to believe that it would be dirty and evil for them to have sex with a woman, that some of them end up rationalizing that it is less sinful to molest a little boy -- or to have sex with a man. Yet, for the Catholic Church, the alternative decision to engage in homosexuality is far more sinful, and in the case of the abuse of little boys, far more inhumane, criminal and clearly diabolical. Abnormal sexual behavior, like pedophilia, is often found among males in situations where the woman -- the ideal sexual object -- is forbidden or unavailable. That?s why a strong case can be made that Islamic terror, for instance, is rooted in the misogyny and sexual repression that is embedded in Muslim cultures. In light of these realities, it is the obligation, especially of Catholics, to speak out against the Church?s policy of mandatory celibacy for priests. It?s the least that the victims of "Father" Carraher, and of the hundreds of monsters like him, deserve. |
![]() |
|
|
|
![]() |
|
|
![]() |
![]() |
Horowitz's Notepad | Poe's Notepad | Reality Bites | Shop Online | Encounter Books | CSPC Bookstore
Home | Contact Us | Advertise With Us | Archives | Privacy Policy | Top of Page
![]() |
|
Yawn. This has been debunked repeatedly. I notice he doesn't provide any proof.
The last statistics I saw on this showed an identical rate of offense between celibate Catholic priests and non-celibate Protestant ministers. Unless Mr. Glazov has some new information, his solution makes no sense.
The fact is that when women are demonized, pathology always emerges. It is so ingrained in many Catholic priests to believe that it would be dirty and evil for them to have sex with a woman, that some of them end up rationalizing that it is less sinful to molest a little boy -- or to have sex with a man.
As a Catholic, Mr. Glazov should know better than this. Women are certainly not demonized in Catholic ideology. If anything, having homosexual dalliances, which Mr. Glazov contends is a celibate priests rationalized release for lustful desires, has been considerably more demonized than heterosexual dalliances since the rule of celibacy began.
My sister-in-law, who is protestant, had just found a church and was very happy with it until their pastor decided he had to move back to CA to make his wife happy. Their little church had to advertise for a new minister and in the mean time was lead by elders in their church. They were young and in-experienced. Finally they all just drifted into other little churches. Now her new church just lost their minister. And she is going through it all over again. His wife was jealous of all the time he spent away from home, because he also had a 40 hour a week job, due to the fact the little church can't afford to pay him much.
Leftist catholic bashing of course. Notice the "priest" is 79 years old, and therefore one suspects the accusations are 30 years old? Or does he use viagra?
That being said, I don't believe that the celibacy rule is "responsible" for this alleged pedophilia epidemic. While there certainly have been many shameful incidents that the Church unwisely hushed-up, this slander against the Catholic clergy is largely media bias, and an example of the only sanctioned religious bigotry allowed in our society.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.