There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.
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My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best human efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also." John's Gospel 14:6-7
Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik
The Ongoing Saga of the Priest Sex-Abuse Scandal
In October 2001, crisis Magazine published an article, titled “The High Price of Priestly Pederasty,” by Dan Michalski. Reporting on publicly known cases of sex abuse by priests, Michalski summarized his findings:
https://www.crisismagazine.com/2010/the-ongoing-saga-of-the-priest-sex-abuse-scandal
10 Myths About Priestly Pedophilia
by Deal Hudson
https://www.catholicity.com/commentary/hudson/00197.html
1. Catholic priests are more likely to be pedophiles than other groups of men.
This is just plain
false. There’s absolutely no evidence
that priests are more likely to abuse children than are other groups of
men. The use and abuse of children as
objects for the sexual gratification of adults is epidemic in all classes,
professions, religions, and ethnic communities across the globe, as figures on
child pornography, incest, and child prostitution make abundantly clear. Pedophilia (the sexual abuse of a prepubescent
child) among priests is extremely rare, affecting only 0.3% of the entire
population of clergy. This figure, cited
in the book Pedophiles and Priests by non-Catholic scholar, Philip Jenkins, is
from the most comprehensive study to date, which found that only one out of
2,252 priests considered over a thirty-year period was afflicted with
pedophilia. In the recent
Pedophilia is a particular type
of compulsive sexual disorder in which an adult (man or woman) abuses
prepubescent children. The vast majority
of the clerical sex-abuse scandals now coming to light do not involve pedophilia. Rather, they involve ephebophilia --
homosexual attraction to adolescent boys.
While the total number of sexual abusers in the priesthood is much
higher than those guilty of pedophilia, it still amounts to less than 2 percent
-- comparable to the rate among married men (Jenkins, Pedophiles and Priests).
In the wake of the current crisis in the Church, other religious denominations and non-religious institutions have admitted to having similar problems with both pedophilia and ephebophilia among the ranks of their clergy. There’s no evidence that Catholic prelates are more likely to be pedophiles than Protestant ministers, Jewish leaders, physicians, or any other institution in which adults are in a position of authority and power over children.
2. The celibate state of priests leads to pedophilia.
Celibacy bears no causal relation to any type of deviant sexual addiction including pedophilia. In fact, married men are just as likely as celibate priests to sexually abuse children (Jenkins, Priests and Pedophilia). In the general population, the majority of abusers are regressed heterosexual men who sexually abuse girls. Women are also found to be among those sexual abusers. While it’s difficult to obtain accurate statistics on childhood sexual abuse, the characteristic patterns of repeat child sex offenders have been well described. The profiles of child molesters never include normal adults who become erotically attracted to children as a result of abstinence (Fred Berlin, "Compulsive Sexual Behaviors" in Addiction and Compulsion Behaviors [Boston: NCBC, 1998]; Patrick J. Carnes, "Sexual Compulsion: Challenge for Church Leaders" in Addiction and Compulsion; Dale O´Leary, "Homosexuality and Abuse").
3. Married clergy would make pedophilia and other forms of sexual misconduct go away.
Some people -- including a few
vocal dissenting Catholics -- are exploiting this crisis to draw attention to
their own agendas. Some are demanding a
married Catholic clergy in response to the scandal, as if marriage would make
men stop hurting children. This flies in
the face of the aforementioned statistic that married men are just as likely to
abuse children as celibate priests (Jenkins, Pedophilia and Priests).
Since neither being Catholic nor
being celibate predisposes a person to develop pedophilia, a married clergy
wouldn’t solve the problem ("Doctors call for pedophilia research,"
The
4. Clerical celibacy was a medieval invention.
Wrong. In the Western Catholic Church, celibacy
became universally practiced in the 4th century, beginning with
Christ revealed the true value
and meaning of celibacy. Catholic
priests from
Over the past forty years, celibacy has been an even more powerful witness to the loving sacrifice of men and women who offer themselves in service of their communities.
5. Female clergy would help solve the problem.
There’s simply no logical
connection between the deviant behavior of a tiny minority of male clergy and
the inclusion of women in their ranks.
While it’s true that most statistics on child molestation show that men
are more likely to abuse children, the fact is that some women are also child
molesters. In 1994, the
There are reasons why the Church cannot ordain women (as John Paul II has explained numerous times). But that is beside the point. The debate about women’s ordination is completely unrelated to the problem of pedophilia and other forms of sexual misconduct.
6. Homosexuality isn’t connected to pedophilia.
This is plainly false. Homosexuals are three times as likely to be
pedophiles as heterosexual men. Although
exclusive pedophilia (adult attraction to prepubescent children) is an extreme
and rare phenomenon, one third of homosexual men are attracted to teenage boys
(Jenkins, Priests and Pedophilia). The
seduction of teenage boys by homosexual men is a well-documented
phenomenon. This form of deviant
behavior is the most common type of clerical abuse and is directly connected to
homosexual behavior.
As Michael Rose shows in his
upcoming book, Goodbye! Good Men, there’s an active homosexual
sub-culture within the Church. This is
due to several factors. The Church’s
confusion in the wake of the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the tumult
following the Second Vatican Council, and the greater approval of homosexual
behavior in the culture at large created an environment in which active
homosexual men were admitted to and tolerated in the priesthood. The Church also came to rely more on the
psychiatric profession for screening candidates and for treating those priests
identified as having problems. In 1973,
the American Psychological Association changed its characterization of
homosexuality as an objectively disordered orientation and removed it from the
Diagnostic and Statistic Manual IV (Nicolosi, J., 1991, Reparative Therapy of
Male Homosexuality, 1991; Diamond, E., et. al., Homosexuality and Hope,
unpublished CMA document). The treatment
of deviant sexual behaviors followed suit.
While the Church’s approach to those who struggle with homosexual attractions has been compassionate, she has been consistent in maintaining the view that homosexuality is objectively disordered and that marriage between a man and woman is the proper context for sexual activity.
7. The Catholic hierarchy has done nothing to address pedophilia.
While we can all agree that the
hierarchy hasn’t done enough, this claim is nevertheless false. When the Church’s Code of Canon Law was
revised in 1983, an important passage was added: "The cleric who commits
any other offence against the sixth precept of the Decalogue, if the offence
was committed with violence or threats, or publicly or with a minor who is
under 16 years [now extended to 18 years], must be punished with just
punishments, not excluding expulsion from the clerical state" (CIC
1395:2).
But that certainly isn’t the only
thing the Church has done. The bishops,
beginning with Pope Paul VI in 1967, issued a warning to the Catholic faithful
concerning the negative consequences of the sexual revolution. The pope’s encyclical letter, "On the
Celibacy of the Priests," addressed the question of a celibate priesthood
in the face of a culture crying out for
greater sexual "freedom." The pope affirmed celibacy even as he called
on bishops to take responsibility for "fellow priests troubled by
difficulties which greatly endanger the divine gift they have." He advised the bishops to seek appropriate
help for these priests, or, in grave cases, to seek a dispensation for priests
who could not be helped. In addition, he
urged them to be more prudent in judging the fitness of candidates for the
priesthood.
In 1975, the Church issued
another document called "Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning
Sexual Ethics" (written by Joseph Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) that
explicitly addressed, among other issues, the problem of homosexuality among
priests. Both the 1967 and 1975
documents addressed kinds of sexual deviancy, including pedophilia and
ephebophilia, that are especially prevalent among homosexuals.
In 1994, the Ad Hoc Committee on
Sexual Abuse issued guidelines to the nation’s then 191 dioceses to help them
develop policies to deal with the problem of sexual abuse of minors. Almost all
dioceses responded and developed their own policies (USCCB document: Guidelines
for dealing with Child Sexual Abuse, 1993-1994). By this time, pedophilia was recognized as a
disorder that could not be cured, and a problem that was becoming more
prevalent due to the increase of pornography.
Before 1994, bishops took their cue from experts in the psychiatric
profession who believed pedophilia could be successfully treated. Priests
guilty of sexual abuse were sent to one of several treatment facilities across
the
In response to the recent scandals, some dioceses are setting up special commissions on child abuse, as well as victims´ advocacy groups; and they are officially acknowledging that any legitimate allegation of abuse must be dealt with immediately.
8. The Church’s teaching on sexual morality is the real problem, not pedophilia.
The Church’s teaching on sexual
morality is rooted in the dignity of the human person and the goodness of human
sexuality. This teaching condemns the
sexual abuse of children in all its forms, just as it condemns other
reprehensible sexual crimes such as rape, incest, child pornography, and child
prostitution. In other words, if this
teaching were lived out, there’d be no pedophilia problem at all.
The notion that this teaching somehow leads to pedophilia is based on a misunderstanding or deliberate misrepresentation of Catholic sexual morality. The Church recognizes that sexual activity without the love and commitment found uniquely in marriage undermines the dignity of the human person and is ultimately destructive. As far as celibacy is concerned, centuries of experience have proven that men and women can abstain from sexual activity while living fulfilling, healthy, and meaningful lives.
9. Catholic journalists have ignored the pedophile problem.
As any reader of CRISIS knows, this claim is patently false. Our October 2001 cover story featured "The High Price of Priestly Pederasty," an expose on the scandal that wouldn’t erupt into the mainstream press for another three months. You can read our full article at:
https://www.crisismagazine.com/2010/the-ongoing-saga-of-the-priest-sex-abuse-scandal.
And we weren’t the only ones who have covered the
pedophilia/pederasty problem. Charles Sennot, author of Broken Covenant, Rod
Dreher of The National Review, CRISIS co-founder Ralph MacInerny, Maggie
Gallagher, Dale O´Leary, the Catholic Medical Association, Michael Novak, Peggy
Noonan, Bill Donohue, Dr. Richard Cross, Philip Lawler, Alan Keyes, and Msgr.
George Kelly have all covered the issue exhaustively.
Just because the mainstream media have chosen to ignore our work doesn’t mean the work hasn’t been done.
10. Requiring celibacy limits the number of men as candidates for the priesthood, resulting in a high number of sexually unbalanced priests.
First of all,
there isn’t a "high number of sexually unbalanced priests." Again, the vast majority of priests are
normal, healthy, and faithful. Every day
they prove themselves worthy of the trust and confidence of those entrusted to
their care.
Secondly, those who do not feel
called to a life of celibacy are ipso facto not called to be Catholic priests. Indeed, most men are not meant to be
celibate. However, some are -- and of
those, some are called by God to the priesthood.
A priestly vocation, like a marriage, requires the mutual and free consent of both parties. Thus, the Church must discern that a candidate is indeed worthy and fit mentally, physically, and spiritually to commit to a life of priestly service. A candidate’s desire for the priesthood does not constitute a vocation in and of itself. Spiritual and vocation directors are now even more attuned to the character flaws that would make an otherwise qualified man an unfit candidate.
By DEAL W. HUDSON – Reprinted with permission from Crisis Magazine.
Check out Crisis Magazine and their free email letter offers such as this one:
“Here are 12 myths every Catholic should be able to expose. How many can you answer?”
The High Price of Priestly Pederasty
How much are sex scandals costing the U.S. Catholic church in payouts to victims? Some groups estimate $1 billion.
© 2006-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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