We need more in the offering plate..
- Thread starter wil
- Start date
We do.
And so many more are not.
No.
The John Jay College of Criminal Justice concluded that around 4% of American Catholic priests between 1950 and 2002 had been accused of abuse. The Director of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Ernie Allen, told Newsweek: "We don’t see the Catholic Church as a hotbed of this or a place that has a bigger problem than anyone else."
And, as Mary Gail Frawley-O’Dea, a psychologist and expert on child sexual abuse, and Virginia Goldner, also a psychologist, noted in their book, Predatory Priests, Silenced Victims, the sexual abuse of children has also occurred among Protestant ministers, Jewish rabbis, Islamic clerics, Buddhist monks and Hare Krishna officials, as well as school teachers, community leaders ...
30% of abuse happens within the family, yet you would not say that family life is a cause of abuse, nor that parents get a kick out of abusing their kids...
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There is absolutely no excuse for paedophilia, but the crazy catholic doctrine, which expects its priests to be celibate, doesn't help matters. I have heard that married priests from the Anglican faith who convert to the RCC doctrine can be accepted as priests, how fair is that on the ones who are expected to be celibate?
Most non-Abrahamic religions 'expect their priests to be celibate.' Buddhism, Hinduism, etc.
The 'crazy Catholic doctrine' was around for 1500yrs before Luther and Henry 8th. The basis of priestly celibacy is that a man with a wife and 11 children will obviously put them ahead of 'God'.
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A common assumption, but actually there is no evidence linking celibacy to pedophilia whatsoever.
Well Orthodox priests can be married too, although not after entering orders. But 'fairness' is not really an argument.
Rather the point is that if a married convert can stand 'in persona Christi' (in the person of Christ), then marriage per se is no impediment to the exercise of priesthood.
It's an issue. I suppose the decision is that the Catholic Church would rather gain a convert priest than lose him by demanding he divorce his wife and leave his children? Especially as the CC doesn't accept divorce?
I do think asking young men to take a lifelong vow of celibacy is a very big ask. I don't like it. I think it is something that may change in the next decade or so. Marriage for non- monastic priests is on the cards.
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While we hold certain groups to higher standards...and we can argue whether their claiming a moral high ground should do the same for themselves... I think the issue with most is the denial, coverup, and shuffle, which not only allows the abuse to continue for decades almost sanctions it.
But I don't know a single Catholic monk who claims a higher moral ground over anyone. A lot of them are priests too.
Although it's true that newcomers do expect an elevated spirituality from monks, the monks themselves are quick to correct that attutude, often in an irritated and abrupt manner. These guys don't do small talk.
Monks live together and do everything together. They live closely together for decades. They truly know each other warts and all. It's no use trying to play 'look at me, I'm the holy one' in that situation.
Many are old men, because not many young people are interested in the monastic life of poverty chastity and obedience.
EDIT: The attitude of the monks is: 'Here we are. Here is the church where we pray seven times a day, starting early in the morning, and where we hold Mass, and you're welcome to sit in if you want to.'
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LOL, quite. While I have issues with the curia generally, I do not necessarily take your average parish priest to task. They're doing the best they can ...
Actually, I think we should leave the moral high ground to the likes of Jesus, Buddha, etc.
As you point out, where the rubber really hits the road is, can we call it, 'the moral low ground'?
I doubt there's a lifestyle more testing of one's calling and one's virtue than the monastic one (other than, perhaps, the lone parish priest). In my experience, people generally have no idea.
"so this is your place in choir, and you stand between him and him. There you and they will stand until death do you part ... and if either or both of your neighbours cannot keep tune, or sing off key, then that is the theme tune of the rest of your life ..."