bkdelong

The Vatican is apparently taking a card of misdirection from the deck of the GOP. Today a former MA priest, Bishop John M. D'Arcy from Indiana, says that the Catholic church should screen men entering seminary for homosexuality. He seems to allude that this would help to solve the child sex abuse cases going on all over the world involving Catholic priests.

I think the true problem is priestly celibacy - which is technically not required in the Catholic church. According to the aforelinked article, only in Western or Latin-Rite Catholocism is celibacy tradition and that Eastern Rite Catholic priests are more often than not married just like their fellow Orthodox and Oriental Christians. I'll be the first to admit that the article I've referenced is not the best on the subject, but it would take me too long to trace back through Catholic dogma to make my point they way I'd want.

You don't hear of scandals involving celibate priests and other men - it's the altar boys the priests seem to be after. These are young boys who are vulnerable and raised by their often devout parents to trust the church with all their soul - perfect targets for horny old men not satisfied to resort to self-gratification to satisfy repressed lust due to their errant vow. That's child abuse, paedophilia, sexual exploitation.

Nothing to do with homosexuality - it's pederasty, plain and simple. Why don't we hear about these priests going to gay bars? What about brothels? Could it just be that these trusting, vulnerable young folk are delivered right into the hands of these lusting men that they take advantage of it?

It just really bothers me that they believe it's only homosexuals who are perpetrating these assaults and that they believe screening for them, (works for the military, doesn't it?!), will keep them out of the priesthood. Why not take a stronger stance against child abusers in the church and relax those rules that, frankly, aren't canon and take a hint from your Eastern bretheren.

[BrainStream]
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