Clergy Sexual Abuse: Questions Remain

Photo ~ Msgn. William Lynn Clergy Sexual Abuse: Questions Remain The original John Jay statistics state that the sex abuse crisis was the overwhelming work of a very small number of clergy, targeting …More
Photo ~ Msgn. William Lynn
Clergy Sexual Abuse: Questions Remain
The original John Jay statistics state that the sex abuse crisis was the overwhelming work of a very small number of clergy, targeting young males as their victims … the one reform not addressed: screening out clergy candidates with same-sex attractions.
In 2002, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops commissioned a 1.8 million dollar study, popularly known as the “John Jay study,” to uncover the patterns and causes of the sex abuse crisis since 1950.
The National Review Board—the entity designated to implement the study—gave the first John Jay report in 2004. In this report, which describes the “Nature and Scope” of clergy sexual abuse, the board pointed out that more than 80 percent of the victims were teenage boys and young men.
However, despite those good reforms, clergy with sexual abuse histories were still active in public Church ministry.
In early 2011, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia revealed it was …More
Viriditas
Hildegard of Bingen wrote the following in the middle ages which God had spoken to her in vision 6;
"Therefore, O ye pastors, wail and lament your crimes, which proclaim your iniquity in dire tones...When you touch your Lord in the stench of uncleanness, as a swine tramples pearls in the mire, the heavens receive your iniquity and shower upon the earth the sentence of my judgement......How can you …More
Hildegard of Bingen wrote the following in the middle ages which God had spoken to her in vision 6;
"Therefore, O ye pastors, wail and lament your crimes, which proclaim your iniquity in dire tones...When you touch your Lord in the stench of uncleanness, as a swine tramples pearls in the mire, the heavens receive your iniquity and shower upon the earth the sentence of my judgement......How can you be their shepherd when you seduce them so?..... Therefore weap and howl, before death carries you off".
philosopher
@ACL- Bene explicasti, meus amicus. I never thought about the ban including women religious, which if it doesn't already, should also apply.
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ACLumsden
@philosopher - Quite!! In addition to which, psychology has not yet solved the problem of 'reinforced sexual behaviour'. So if one were a practicing gayman as a teenager, as a young twentisomething, it is not possible to stop..... but psychology, according to Fr Groeschel, would have us believe that is it possible.... Hence the problems now - sexual activity whose causes are located in rather …More
@philosopher - Quite!! In addition to which, psychology has not yet solved the problem of 'reinforced sexual behaviour'. So if one were a practicing gayman as a teenager, as a young twentisomething, it is not possible to stop..... but psychology, according to Fr Groeschel, would have us believe that is it possible.... Hence the problems now - sexual activity whose causes are located in rather different areas of human psychopathology; psychopathology which has NOT yet been sorted out. Better therefore ban gay men and women at this point in time....
philosopher
The Church has the 1961 ban, but still the progressive idea that pederdasty of homo-erotic attractions to young men is only psychological disorder that can be overcome with psycho-therapy. Saddly, this attitude relfected by fr. Benedict Groeschel, a monastic and seminary prof, is still in currency among many Church leaders.
"Fr. Groeschel, who has hosted television shows on EWTN and has authored …More
The Church has the 1961 ban, but still the progressive idea that pederdasty of homo-erotic attractions to young men is only psychological disorder that can be overcome with psycho-therapy. Saddly, this attitude relfected by fr. Benedict Groeschel, a monastic and seminary prof, is still in currency among many Church leaders.

"Fr. Groeschel, who has hosted television shows on EWTN and has authored numerous books, discussed sexual abuse in part of a National Catholic Register interview published Aug. 27. He said that when people think of sexual abusers they have a picture in their minds of “a psychopath.”
“But that's not the case,” he said. “Suppose you have a man having a nervous breakdown, and a youngster comes after him. A lot of the cases, the youngster -- 14, 16, 18 -- is the seducer.”
“It's not so hard to see — a kid looking for a father and didn't have his own — and they won't be planning to get into heavy-duty sex, but almost romantic, embracing, kissing, perhaps sleeping, but not having intercourse or anything like that,” he said.
Fr. Groeschel said he was inclined to think that abusers on their first offense should not go to jail “because their intention was not committing a crime.”"

Fr. Groeschel appologized post facto upon receiving a landslide of criticism and his order and diocean Bishop have since issued statements distancing themselves from the remarks.

My only point is that this is the kind of attitude that overlooks the 1961 ban on perverts being allowed in the seminaries, and set up a progressive atmosphere in the seminaries that those with same sex attractions to young men, where good candidates for the priesthood.
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