First catholic church I entered had a Priest who had his own private male concubine. The laity knew it...and the Priest knew they knew. The kid was a troubled kid the Priest took under his belt, in more ways than one. I asked why nobody said anything about this, (I wasn’t even a Christen then.) I was told these stinging words..” We just accept this is how it is, he (the Priest) is truly loved here and no one can imagine him not being our Priest, the kid is better off with the Priest than on his own”. The year was 1987.... I was in that community 7 yrs. and watched that kid grow to be a damaged young man. One of the things I've learned to totally ignore is the prevalence of anecdotes on these threads. "I knew a priest who..." "I know Catholics who..." "My Catholic relatives all..." "I work with Catholics who..."
I could tell you tale after tale of protestant misdeeds, and I don't, because being protestant has NOTHING to do with their homosexuality, their thieving, their adultery, their addiction to crack -- anything.
But SOMEHOW, when a Catholic misbehaves, it is the fault of the Church. And you (plural) wonder why we take things personally, why we are so "thin-skinned" why we get irritated with all y'all. We say that insulting the Church is insulting Catholics, because YOU MAKE IT SO.
The other interesting thing is that people who criticize the Catholic Church, and thus all Catholics, NEVER give their own confession. You (plural) don't do this because you KNOW that there are no perfect people in your church, but without identifying your church, nobody can point to a specific instance THE WAY YOU CAN WHEN IT IS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.
The last thing is that when you (plural) say that Catholics believe thus and so, and we say, no we don't, the Catechism says yada yada, you say, "Well I knew a Catholic who..." or "All the Catholics in the church I was forced to attend when I was growing up...." yada yada, as if that is supposed to somehow disprove the Catechism.
If any of the solas made you (plural) proddies better Christians, you (plural) might deserve a better look. As far as I can see, all of you are just as fallible as ANY Catholic. And anyone who will criticize the Catholic Church without holding up their own church for comparison is a dirty yellow coward.
Thanks Judy. I think the facts below speak for themselves
the Church wants those 0.53-1.8% of convicted ex-priests to stay in prison and rot. They have abused their authority and worse, abused their vocation.
They will burn in the hottest fires of hell as they have not been the shepherds to their flock --
secondly, give me % terms and give me a comparison to your group or any other Christian group. What is the conviction rate of pastors in your group who have molested children?
The Associated Press reported that
250 out of 47,000 priests had been dismissed or had resigned by the time the bishops met last June, though it is not clear that all of the dismissals and resignations were due to abuse. Even if all 250 priests were abusers,
it would still amount to about one-half of one percent (0.53 percent) of the 47,000 priests currently serving in America, a proportion far smaller than in most media accounts. Since some of the allegations involved priests who are now dead, the proportion of offenders within today's priesthood is significantly smaller than one-half of one percent. Unquestionably those who were convicted are dismissed and no matter that psychological "experts" had assured bishops
in the 60s and 70sthat a month's stay at a treatment facility would "cure" this
What are the percentage conviction and dismissal rate of molesters in YOUR group or any other Christian group, I ask? Compare these and tell me 0.5% or more?
A 1992 study conducted in the Archdiocese of Chicago is the largest such study done to date. It examined the personnel files of all priests serving in the diocese. It found that out of the 2,252 priests who had served from 1951 to 1991,
allegations of sexual abuse had been made against 59 of them, or 2.6 percent.
The study
adopted a policy of favoring the accuser in cases of doubt, accepting hearsay testimony (which would not be allowed in court), and adopting a "preponderance of evidence" standard (as opposed to the "proof beyond a reasonable doubt" standard used in criminal trials). With this methodology, it concluded that 18 of the allegations of sexual abuse did not stand up, leaving 41 probable offenders, or 1.8 percent of the priests who had served in Chicago in four decades. (Philip Jenkins, Pedophiles and Priests: Anatomy of a Contemporary Crisis [1996], p. 81).
A recent study conducted in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania showed
a 1.7 percent figure of priestly sexual abuse involving minors
These are priests who are being hounded out and convicted -- what is the conviction rate and % in your or any other Christian group in comparison?
Now note the
1.7 to 1.8%, compare that to the opinion of an expert in pedophilia, Dr. John Bradford, who "estimates its [pedophilia's] prevalence at maybe
four percent of the population" (John Cloud, "Pedophilia," Time, April 29, 2002).
If so,
the percentage of pedophiles in the ranks of Catholic priests is significantly lower by all accounts than in the general population. This may be due to the psychological screening candidates for the priesthood are subject to prior to ordination-and to the practical fact that priests have less access to children than do typical pedophiles.
In his book Pedophiles and Priests, Prof. Philip Jenkins—a Protestant and an expert in the subject of pedophilia—stated, "The most-quoted survey of sexual problems among Protestant clergy states that some ten percent are involved in sexual misconduct of some kind, and that 'about two or three percent' are pedophiles, a rate equal or higher than that suggested for Catholic priests. These figures should be viewed skeptically; the methodology on which they are based is not clear, and they seem to rely disproportionately on individuals already in therapy. However, it is striking to find such a relatively high number suggested for both celibate and non-celibate clergy" (pp. 50-51).
Note that --
that 'about two or three percent' are pedophiles, a rate equal or higher than that suggested for Catholic priests.
cases of Catholic clerical abuse attract more attention than non-Catholic cases because the Church expects higher standards of its clergy and members than do other bodies. Because the Church keeps a detailed dossier on members of its clergy, giving prosecutors more extensive evidence to work with. Because the media seeks any opportunity to attack Christianity
Remember, the VAST majority of priests and bishops (98% in the US alone) are still the honest, faithful servants of Christ and ministers to his people that they always have been.