In most of these homosexual molestation cases, priests built up trust with teenage boys and parents over a period of time. Then they started spending a lot of time with the boys, and eventually maneuvered them into being alone with them - in rectories, in retreats, in overnight stays, etc. In a local church here, one Catholic priest molester had boys come over in the afternoon, where he ostensibly was letting them have a place (or so he told the parents) to relax. Over time, he introduced them to homosexual pornography and tapes. He started fondling them. When they objected, he told them that what he was doing was normal, and that he was introducing them to manhood, and that all boys go through that and that they were lucky to have a priest teach them these essential things. In the end, he brainwashed these impressionable and trusting boys into presenting themselves on a regular basis for anal rape. While true that things don't occur like this in most Catholic institutions, the number and scope and spiritual and physical viciousness of these molestations overwhelms the mind. They appear to have occurred in every major diocese in the country. Two bishops have resigned, and several more would have, had they any honor. Several cardinals are implicated in covering such crimes up. Rampant gay sex is occurring in many of the seminares. (Read, Goodbye, Good Men, as an example.) And finally, thousands of boys have been molested. While I'm of course glad that none of these terrible things happened to you personally, they did happen to thousands of boys. There is a terrible cancer in the church. Feel lucky that you were spared. Also, I have to say that this problem was a bit more abstract to me until I found out that the previous pastor of my son's Catholic school church in the neighboring town was the molester described above. I shudder to think what could have happened if my sons had attended this school a few years earlier. The sexual molesters in our Church have proven themselves to be quite adept and skillful at luring young boys into their lairs. and finally, if, when you were a teenage boy, a priest had asked you to come up to his office on a quiet afternoon at the church, wouldn't you have gone?
I can't think of anything more awful than a priest, for whatever reason, allowing himself to be led down such a despicable path when he abuses a young charge. Our Lord's remedy was a millstone around the neck. Mary is still right. We need to pray for all priests.
I remember reading of a seer who was given to understand that when a priest goes to hell, his thumbs and forefingers burn brighter than any other part of his body.