Why were there so many sexual abuse problems in the RCC?

[Vesayen]

Not defaming them..... trying to think of why that was the case. I refuse to think that the proffesion simply attracred pedophiles..... what could be the cause?

One random musing.... maybe sexual repression(wanting women and knowing you cant have them) causes strange psychological effects in some people?

[Ted Striker]

That's one reason

Another reason is poor enforcement against the priests when they mess up.

The problem still hasn't been fully addressed.

One of my friends is getting married and was told she couldn't wear a sleevless dress because it would make the priest uncomfortable.

[Whaleboy]

(wanting women and knowing you cant have them)

I went to a boys school. I agree.

[Verto]

Aren't the African RC priests allowed to marry?

[Vesayen]

Originally posted by Whaleboy


I went to a boys school. I agree.

I think thats a different case... in your case they were just not available, in a priests case they are forbidden, available or not.

[Whaleboy]

In my case they were available in the sixth form but we had to wear coloured ribbons on our blazers to show our age . Outside of school there were numerous house parties which compensated in a depressingly alcoholic manner...

[Ben Kenobi]

Not defaming them..... trying to think of why that was the case. I refuse to think that the proffesion simply attracred pedophiles..... what could be the cause?

One random musing.... maybe sexual repression(wanting women and knowing you cant have them) causes strange psychological effects in some people?

Well, if you want women, then you shouldn't be a priest. Celibacy is not for everyone, and those who burn for women ought to be honest enough with themselves to turn down the occupation.

Now, as for any 'epidemic' of pedophilia, there is no difference between the number of priests found guilty, and the general population, so celibacy in itself, cannot cause the problem.

Secondly, you are right that part of the problem has to do with the sacrament of ordination. A priest cannot be defrocked within the RCC, so even if he is found guilty, all they can do is move him somewhere away from children. This is why it is so important for any priests to admit that they burn for women, and to refrain from becoming a priest if they find this to be the case.

Aren't the African RC priests allowed to marry?

No. Same rules worldwide for the Roman Catholics.

[Dis]

celibacy isn't for everyone?

I don't think it's for anyone. It's not phsyically and mentally healthy.

[Verto]

I never understood the grounds of forcing priests to be celibate.

[Ming]

It makes no sense what so ever for priests to have to be celibate... They should be allowed to get married... and maybe the could understand some of the problems that the married couples they counsal go through.

[DanS]

There have been a lot of scandals in the last 20 or 30 years in the US church because the church didn't start cleaning up the mess until about 10 years ago. Overall, the bishops got bum advice from their attorneys (you could fight and stonewall these things in court) and their psychiatric experts (pedophilia is a curable disease in most cases). The bishops didn't have enough pastoral wisdom to see the extent of the damage that following those courses of action would cause.

One thing that is important to keep in mind is that priests and bishops are in the forgiveness business, not the punishment business. Their first instinct will always be to try to rehabilitate the person who is sinning, not trying to throw them in the slammer.

[Odin]

If the Vatican wants to get rid of the abuse it has to stop the celibacy rule. You can't repress human nature, no matter what religious loonies would like to think.

[Apocalypse]

1. The amount of pedophiles in the RCC is less than half the amount in the general population, thus there is not necessarily an attraction to this particular profession.

2. The main (practical) arguement for not marrying is that priests are incredibly busy. If you look at the average schedule for most parish priests, there wouldn't be much time for family. Furthermore, look at many of the kids of protestant preachers. They get very little supervision. One of my friends years ago (before I knew him) always hung out at the house of a friend whose father was a priest because there was absolutely no supervision since the parent was always busy. I forget where the mother was exactly, but the point is, the father wasn't there to really raise the kid.

[Dis]

the president is extremely busy yet he is allowed to have a wife. Well maybe not this lazy ass president. But Clinton was busy. He only slept like 3 hours a night.

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Dissident
the president is extremely busy yet he is allowed to have a wife. Well maybe not this lazy ass president. But Clinton was busy. He only slept like 3 hours a night.

That's because he was hitting it the other 5.