Cardinal Tarcisio Berton, second only to the pope said it was homosexuality, not celibacy which lay behind the abuse of children. Earlier he likened the criticisms of the RCC to the collective violence suffered by the Jews. Hmm, and wasn’t the church silent during the extermination of Jews during the Holocaust? If only they could practice what Jesus taught and suffer in silence now.
As the church squirms and slimes it’s way from any moral if not financial culpability in these abuses one has to wonder if these events will be the catalyst needed to haul the old girl, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century or if these are the knock out punches which lead to the inevitable fall. Either way, the church’s anti-gay policy is partly responsible for the condition it finds itself in.
To answer the question of whether or not it’s the fags that are ruining the church one needs only to look at the statistics on the victims. According to “The Nature and Scope of the Problem of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States“, a research study conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice 81% of the victims are male. So the Cardinal was right, right? Well according to the Congregation for the Doctrine the Faith the results are only60% referred to individuals of the same sex and 30% of heterosexual character. The proof is in the numbers right? Well, there are some other factors that need to be taken into account.
First, the church is male dominated (and misogynistic), so it makes sense that most of the victims be male. I was an altar boy for 12 years and I never served a mass with a girl. I was also never abused in any way, but if a priest did feel like having a sexual encounter there would only be boys around to do it with. If women were more accepted and integrated in the church (and allowed to celebrate a mass) then perhaps the victim statistics would be different. I’m not saying they wouldn’t happen, but rather the data might be different.
Secondly, while homosexuals have been involved in the Church for centuries, the question of why arises. The answer in my opinion simply lies with society. If you’re over 20 years old and not married, you are seen as either weird or suspicious. Up until now, saying you were gay was not acceptable; and in many places it still isn’t. The church provides a place for a young man who was gay to hide out because being a priest is a perfectly acceptable reason for not being married.
Perhaps if the church wasn’t quite so vehement in it’s incrimination of homosexuals this situation wouldn’t exists but that karma for you – ain’t she a bitch.
While the church still needs to pay for it’s abuses and accept moral culpability, this situation could be a mixed blessing and provide solutions to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
First, leaves gays alone. Period. Don’t pray for us, don’t denounce us, in fact worry more about the poor than what gays are doing. Most of us are just fine thanks. Getting congregations all riled up about the “gay agenda” and shit like that just makes it worse. Leave it alone and eventually the only gays who would join your little club would be doing it for the shoes.
Second, let priests marry. Not only will a priest have an appropriate sexual outlet, you will also get a better priest. A priest providing marriage counselling right now is like me providing investment advice. I can do it, but without much experience the value is somewhat limited. A married priest will have a whole new set of insight on the sacraments especially the sacrament of marriage and be able to provide first hand counselling to couples.
Thirdly, let women become priests. Do you really believe God cares if the person celebrating mass has a penis or not? Do you really think there is something in having a vagina that prohibits women from administering the sacraments? If you do then I pity you for having such a small-minded deity.
The Church is reeling from these latest abuse allegations and only time can tell if it will fall. Part of me would love to see it collapse and it’s assets redistributed, but another part of me would like to see it embrace the 21st century. Only time will tell which will happen.