Pennsylvanian pedotopia

[Elok]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pennsylvania-religion-sexcrimes/pennsylvania-report-details-decades-of-sexual-abuse-by-priests-idUSKBN1KZ24X

The report broke yesterday, following a lengthy investigation. Basically, of Pennsylvania's eight Catholic dioceses, six were found to be continuously complicit in the sexual assault of minors over a period of seventy years. 301 priests, more than a thousand proven victims (report thinks far more were actually victimized, those are just the thousand we have proof of), and the other two dioceses apparently were not included because separate grand juries have already found them guilty. The usual wretched details apply--bishops keeping detailed secret files and moving priests around whenever things got too hot--plus new ones like blasphemous child porn (photographing teenage boys naked in a "crucified" posture). Some girls, some really tiny kids. Blecch.

Given the sheer scale, the breadth and depth of the abuse, it's hard to believe that much the same problem isn't found across the US. Basically, the odds of any given American bishop having covered up a sexual crime are very nearly 1 at this point. Is this anything new, though? I suspect this isn't making more waves because we've become accustomed to this type of story. Skimming Wiki's article on the clerical abuse scandals in general, this seems to represent a much larger problem; a previous report found 10K alleged cases over fifty years for the entire country, while this is only (most of) one US state with a thousand confirmed cases and many more suspected/unproven.

I do wonder what this will do the RCC in the US in general. They have an ongoing priest shortage, and even their pockets aren't infinitely deep. Nor do they seem willing to take serious action to prevent a recurrence.

[pchang]

Actually, investigations of the other 2 diocese were done earlier and had similar results. So, PA is 8/8. My guess is that the odds are not close to 1, they ARE 1.

[Proteus_MST]

Is it possible that pedophilia among catholic clerics is more widespread in the USA than elsewhere?

While other countries (including germany) also have their pedophilia scandals among catholic priests, it seems as if they are bigger and more numerous in the USA (at least those which make it to the headlines)

[Uncle Sparky]

If this was any other organization, it would be forced to disband.

[Broken_Erika]

Report: Statistically Speaking There’s Decent Chance Pope Francis Molested Someone

[Dinner]

I am about as surprised about this as I was when the creator of my little pony was found to be a pedophile. Which is to say not at all. I mean what sort of grown ass man actually wants to spend all his time attracting the attention of pre-pubescent kids except pedophiles? Seriously, I am will to bet "careers" such as clowns and coaches for child athetics have way higher rates of pedos simply because pedos seek out places where they can get near their victims. Kind of like Michael Jackson having a mini theme park built in his backyard and always inviting 8 year old boys over to sleep in his bed.

[-Jrabbit]

If only Ben Kenobi were here to tell us how this isn't nearly as bad as it sounds...

[spambot]

I am about as surprised about this as I was when the creator of my little pony was found to be a pedophile. Which is to say not at all. I mean what sort of grown ass man actually wants to spend all his time attracting the attention of pre-pubescent kids except pedophiles? Seriously, I am will to bet "careers" such as clowns and coaches for child athetics have way higher rates of pedos simply because pedos seek out places where they can get near their victims. Kind of like Michael Jackson having a mini theme park built in his backyard and always inviting 8 year old boys over to sleep in his bed.

Uhh maybe some people write books or design toys for children because they want to entertain children?

[Dinner]

Uhh maybe some people write books or design toys for children because they want to entertain children?

Very true. Thus why I spoke about rates.

[Elok]

Priests' jobs don't necessarily involve hanging around with children a lot. Yeah, there are altar boys, but at least in my (non-Catholic) church, they mostly put on robes, help at services where they're in plain view of the laity, and go home. The priest spends a lot of his time talking to parishioners, visiting the sick ones at the hospital, defusing spats and controversies, counseling the ones whose lives are falling apart, and so on. Really he spends less one-on-one time with kids than he does with adults, and particularly with old people.

[Proteus_MST]

Priests' jobs don't necessarily involve hanging around with children a lot. Yeah, there are altar boys, but at least in my (non-Catholic) church, they mostly put on robes, help at services where they're in plain view of the laity, and go home. The priest spends a lot of his time talking to parishioners, visiting the sick ones at the hospital, defusing spats and controversies, counseling the ones whose lives are falling apart, and so on. Really he spends less one-on-one time with kids than he does with adults, and particularly with old people.

If I draw parallels between the "First communion" (including communion school) of the Catholics and the evangelical "Confirmation" (including Confirmation lessons) (with the latter one being the thing that I received in germany) then there actually is lots of contact between children and clerics.

Duing the 2 years before our confirmation (which took place around the age of 14) we would go to the confirmation lessions once a week and would also have to go to church every sunday (with IIRC 2 allowed miss-outs per half year or year). During all of these 2 years we would have close contact to the pastor of the parish who was responsible for the confirmees and would also have at least one confirmee trip for IIRC 1 week to a church recreation center abroads. There also would be other voluntary activities which were organized by the church for its confirmees (fo example taking part in charitable events).
So, actually in german evangelical parishes at least one Pastor in the parish would have a lot of close contact with the youths of the parish.
(I can actually say nothing bad about the pastor who was responsible for the confirmees in my youth (which, funny enough, was the same pastor who also was responsible for the confirmation fo my mother)

So, to come back to the catholics:
AFAIK the roman-catholic kids in a similar manner take communion lessons starting 1 or 2 years before their frist communion (at least in germany this is the case) ... I would assume that they have a similar close contact to the priest that is responsible for these lessons

(I have to say that the only catholic pedophilia scandals in germany that I remember were at catholic boarding schools however)

[Elok]

Perhaps, but I don't think of priesthood as a job like little league coach that a pedo would get specifically to have contact with kids (as Dinner was claiming). You have to deal with people of all ages.

[rah]

When I was an altar boy there were always priests around. Fortunately I was always there with my twin so I was never alone.
Also remember, that a lot of churches are associated with a school where the priests may serve as instructors or counselors so they have plenty of access to younger boys.

[Elok]

Huh. Our parish priests spend most of their time, outside of services, attending to various crises. They hardly ever have contact with children outside of altar service, and then there's almost always a crowd of them around, little one-on-one. Do you mean it goes so far that you'd consider RCC priesthood a primarily "working with kids" kind of job?

(it probably helps that our parish priests are normally married, and most archdioceses have an abundant supply of seminarians lately)

[Proteus_MST]

Perhaps, but I don't think of priesthood as a job like little league coach that a pedo would get specifically to have contact with kids (as Dinner was claiming). You have to deal with people of all ages.

Perhaps many pedophiles don't become priests because they hope to fulfill their pedophilia, but rather because they hope that, by becoming priests, they can avoid the temptation that little kids present to them (and perhaps even get a little bit of help from god, due to their service to him)

And/or perhaps in some cases the priests aren't actually pedophiles, but the children present the most vulnerable persons in the priests environment, with whom said priests can live out the sexual pressure that has built up during years of celibacy