Sex runs rampant in the Catholic Church

Capitol Hill Blue ^ | January 9, 2003 | DOUG THOMPSON

[arj]

Recent revelations that at least 40 percent of Catholic nuns in the United States are victims of sexual abuse are just part of a growing sex scandal in the Church that goes far beyond the abuse of young boys by priests.

Capitol Hill Blue has learned that internal investigations by the Church have uncovered massive evidence of frequent sexual activity by both nuns and priests (often with each other), use of Church money to pay for abortions for pregnant nuns and a “casual and tolerant attitude towards sexual activity among Church leaders.”

Details of the investigations are a closely guarded secret of the Church hierarchy, but sources tell CHB that the results are being closely studied by Vatican officials who express “shock and outrage” at the high levels of sex involving priests and nuns.

“For God’s sake, this is the Church. It is not a bordello,” exclaimed one priest involved in the investigation. “This is a crime against God.”

In interviews with current nuns and priests, as well as with a number of clergy who have left the church, a disturbing portrait of immoral activity within Church walls emerges, including:

--Priests who regularly have sex with female parishioners. According to two sources, as many as 5,000 priests in the U.S. have been discovered to have had affairs with parishioners.

--At least 34,000 nuns who admit sexual abuse or activity.

--Frequent sexual contact between priests and nuns. The investigations are said to have found “dozens” of cases where nuns who became pregnant from these affairs had abortions paid for out of Church funds (even though the Church opposes abortions).

--Hundreds of confirmed reports of lesbian sexual encounters among nuns as well as homosexual contact between priests.

--Hundreds of cases where priests and nuns leave the Church and marry shortly afterwards, many having children conceived while they were still Church clergy.

“You are dealing with human beings with human failings,” admits Jonathan, an ex-priest who left the Church years ago and married a former nun. Their oldest child was conceived during an affair when both were still in the Church. Jonathan agreed to be interviewed only on condition that neither his last name nor his wife’s name be used for this article.

“Yes, we both took vows of chastity but we broke those vows,” he says. “We weren’t the only ones. I knew several priests in my diocese who broke their vows as well. My wife knew many nuns who violated their vows.”

Jonathan says stories about rampant sexual activity among priests and nuns circulated in the Church for years but that Catholic leaders looked the other way.

“There were two hypocrisies at work,” he says. “One because some of the Church leaders were, themselves, unfaithful to their vows and the other because everyone knew the damage to the church if this ever became public.”

Only when confronted with the revelations last year of widespread abuse of children and the subsequent cover up has the church taken a closer look at the sexual activity.

"The bishops appear to be only looking at the issue of child sexual abuse, but the problem is bigger than that," says St. Louis University researcher Ann Wolf, one of those who authored the study on widespread sexual abuse of nuns. "Catholic sisters are being violated, in their ministries, at work, in pastoral counseling."

St. Louis University conducted a national survey of nuns in 1996 but the Church-affiliated school never publicly released the results. The study, paid for by several of the nun orders, was turned over to the Church. Wolf and the other researchers found 34,000 nuns who had been either sexually abused or engaged in sexual activity.

“What they found were those who admitted it,” says Jonathan. “There were, and are, many others.”

Jonathan admits his wife was not his first sexual partner while he wore the robes of priesthood. He had affairs with female parishioners and other nuns.

“It was all done with a wink and a nod,” he says. “Just about everybody knew what was happening but nobody wanted to do anything about it.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops claims to know nothing of the studies and refuses to comment on the specifics of this article. Phone calls to various Catholic officials and Vatican offices were not returned.

[Conservative til I die]

You sound almost Protestant in this post, and anti-clerical to boot.

[Conservative til I die]

Because this way, he can pretend that you're being untruthful. It is a time honored RC debating technique - always claim that your opponent is lying, then, if evidence does pop up, claim that the opponent is a rabid anti-Catholic.

But you are. Very hateful from what I've read of you.

[Conservative til I die]

Such logic! Peter, the rock, the patron of the RCC, the Bishop of Rome was (ahem) married.

And by the 2nd or 3rd century, Popes were vastly by and large celibate. Celibacy in the priesthood is not dogma, it's discipline. The Church could choose and has and does today allow married priests.

[Bluntpoint]

"My mind is still blown at how anyone can "deny" or "force" a voluntary vow onto anyone. "

A mind is a terrible thing to blow.

If it blows again try a plug. If all else fails, try an inner tube.

Avoid rough terrain.

Stay current on your AAA membership.

God Bless.

[Conservative til I die]

So, according to you, the thought process of these priests was, "I have sexual desire, but it's a sin to masturbate, so therefore I'll molest children and have sex with married women and nuns." That does not seem very credible.

I guess I'm just one of those crazy people that subscribes to the theory that if a normal human need/desire (pick your classification of sexuality) is frustrated, then it may lead to an unhealthy or illegal expression of that desire when the cork finally blows off.

But the converse of that theory is that priests, in their quest to remain holy and sinless would eschew sins like masturbation or marriage (which is not sinful, but would be breaking of the vows), and instead decide to molest kids or rape a nun, so that they wouldn't commit the sin of masturbation and breaking their vows. Your theory on it's best day is asinine and embarasses you in public.

[Conservative til I die]

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter [petros--a little stone], and upon this rock [petra--a massive rock--Christ] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Too bad Jesus spoke Aramaic, where the words translate to Cephas and Cephas both times, rather than the Greek you mention.

Oops! Back to the minors for you.

[Conservative til I die]

Ohhh! So, the phrase filthy hateful Catholics should be perfectly fine. I'll make sure I remember this the next time the Catholic censors

LOL, that you think the "censors" here are pro-Catholic. My experience is that they're as anti-Catholic as 70% of this board is.

[stuartcr]

There are many in the world that do not adhere to biblical standards.

[Bluntpoint]

"LOL, that you think the "censors" here are pro-Catholic. My experience is that they're as anti-Catholic as 70% of this board is. "

I am sure that percentage increases in your wake.

[Conservative til I die]

I don't believe any church that we now know was around at the time of Christ. I think he meant that Peter was suppose to spread the gospel. Jesus was not refering to a specific denomination.

THere was only one denomination, the Universal Church a/k/a Catholic. Martin Luther, and to a lesser extent, the Orthodox, decided to screw it all up.

[Conservative til I die]

"LOL, that you think the "censors" here are pro-Catholic. My experience is that they're as anti-Catholic as 70% of this board is. "

I am sure that percentage increases in your wake.

OK, are you saying I'm an anti-Catholic myself, or that my innocuous posts cause rampant anti-Catholicism?

Yeah, right, like the usual morons here need my assistance in being hateful anti-Catholic bigots. Just like celibacy drives men to molest children. Cause and effect, right?

[Bluntpoint]

Have you ever met a pill that was not bitter?

Just swallow and shut up.

It was God who invented "sides."

Take a look at the other one sometimes.

You will not go blind.

You will not find hatred.

God bless.

[Conservative til I die]

What's your point.

[sinkspur]

You sound almost Protestant in this post, and anti-clerical to boot.

Why? Because I don't think a priest is a better human being than I am just because he's a priest?

You don't know very many priests personally, obviously.

[Bluntpoint]

You reek of anti.

God bless.

[Conservative til I die]

I'm anti-Catholic???? Bwahahahahahahaaaa, you obviously haven't been reading this forum for long. Or this thread, at all, for that matter.

[Conservative til I die]

I'm anti-Catholic???? Bwahahahahahahaaaa, you obviously haven't been reading this forum for long. Or this thread, at all, for that matter.

[Conservative til I die]

Why? Because I don't think a priest is a better human being than I am just because he's a priest?

No, just the statement itself had almost a Protestant, anti-clerical tone to it. I'm not talking about the context of your statement. You don't know very many priests personally, obviously.

You apparently choose only to hang around the worst of priests. Do you know even *one* priest that you like?

[Bluntpoint]

No. I believe you are just an anti individual.

You mask your anti with pompass acidity.

But it is the anti that comes through loud and clear.

Let me guess. You are on your local parrish's ourreach board.

Did you chair the "Wine into Vinegar" dance last month at your church?

God bless.

[sinkspur]

You apparently choose only to hang around the worst of priests. Do you know even *one* priest that you like?

I like almost every priest I know. Most of them are good men.

But they put their pants on one leg at a time, just like I do.