Why is pedophilia so prevalent (and continues to be) in the Catholic Church all across the USA?

Question

Church, Catholics, Pedophilia

Answer 1

It isn't any more prevalent among Catholic clergy than among any cross section of men. The only thing that is more prevalent is the inordinate amount of coverage of cases involving priests. If a teacher (the largest group of child molestors), guidance counselor, coach, scout leader, etc. molests a child, people in the next state don't even hear about it. Why would they be interested? They have dozens of similar cases in their own state. But if a priest is involved, it's on the front page of every secular paper in the country. Hmmm, wonder why?

One further correction ... Pedophilia is almost unheard of among Catholic clergy. The small number of priests who have made sexual advances toward adolescent boys are not pedophiles. They are homosexuals. But the secular press likes the term "pedophile" because it generates a greater emotional response in readers, and it prevents casting homosexuality, one of their golden calves, in a negative light.

It should be obvious to any thinking person that priestly celibacy has nothing to do with this problem, since ...
(1) The other 99+% of priests are also celibate and have no such problems;
(2) The largest group of child molestors are married men;
(3) Voluntarily abstaining from sexual interaction with women doesn't cause a heterosexual man to become homosexual;
(4) Even if priests could marry, these homosexual priests are the very ones who would not marry.

If you want to find places where this problem is "still prevalent", look at churches and other organizations serving children, who have NOT yet taken the kind of agressive measures the Catholic Church has taken to deal with this problem!

Answer 2

The simple answer is that neither the Church or the US statutes allow for paidophilia (PS This is the correct spelling according to the original Greek!). The main problem lies within the history and administration of the Church as a whole. Firstly, Catholicism is the single most powerful denomination in the US. The influence of the Church reaches far into business, politics, education, industry and the military. This influence was a source of much controversy up until recently, as the Church used this power to influence statutes, legal decisions and generally ensure that everything went their way. Secondly, this influence meant few people dared to challenge such authority, and those cases that did were usually unsucessful- few people think that a priest can do any harm or wrongdoing, and so were unlikely to convict. There is and was also a social blame- many of the abused children were not cared for by the State and so the responsibility fell to the childrens Church, where it was expected that they would be brought up correctly. Even where the children had families, there was a general belief that the Church could do no wrong- a form of brainwashing. Many of the children were brainwashed themselves into thinking it was punishment for some unknown sin or wrongdoind, and their fear of sinning and rebelling against authority bought their silence. There was also a general misconception that where a priest was found guilty of a crime, it would be dealt with by the Church. Again, as the Church gained more influence it needed to hold onto that power, and so many crimes went 'covered up' simply because of the damage it would do in terms of support if anything were to come out. The image of a Catholic priest is also important. They are supposed to be dedicated to the Lord God, free from earthly temptations and vices, living a life of poverty to serve God and His people. This then places a massive burden upon someone to take the decision to become a priest. This psychological toll may be too great. I am NOT in support of their actions at all, but this toll does explain why some commit these terrible crimes. Similarly, the powerful position that they gain may mean it is a crime of opportunity, simply because they can. As for lawsuits, there are many reasons why few cases are heard. The priests holy image means any case such as this is difficult to try, and the toll psychologically upon the jury and judges is immense. Also, in many cases the incidents were long ago, and finding both evidence and witnesses can be difficult, especially seen as many Church records and paperwork are bound by ecclesiastical law to never be revealed. Any evidence that is collected is easily contested on the grounds of quality of recollection, and age. Shame against rebelling against the Church can also be a factor, as people don't want to challenge big organisations. So few cases will ever be tried.

Answer 3

Show ANY proof that it "continues to be" prevalent in Catholic Churches across the USA.

Do some real research, problems have always been lower among Catholic Priests than School teachers, Ball Coaches or any other group.

That does not make it right, but that is fact.

Did you know that now ANY adult that deals with kids within the Catholic Church has to go through special classes to help recognize and prevent abuses? Most likely you never took the time to read about all of the steps that the Church has taken or even cared. But you do take the time to get on here and bash us, don't you owe it to yourself to at least find out the true facts first?

www.Catholic.com

Answer 4

>>Why is pedophilia so prevalent (and continues to be) in the Catholic Church all across the USA?<<

What evidence do you have for this? The vast majority of reported incidents happened decades ago. In the United States in 2006, only 17 minors said they had been molested by a Catholic priest.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-04-11-church-abuse_N.htm

"The physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests." -- Professor Charol Shakeshaft, sexual abuse researcher
http://google.com/search?q=cache:pcsnetxXPUQJ:www.teachermag.net/ew/ew_printstory.cfm

Answer 5

Did you know that the highest child molestation rate by profession is done by public school teachers? Followed next by Doctors, and then Dentists... Scout leaders are pretty high up there too. All are much higher than the rate of molestations by priests or pastors. In fact there are really very FEW cases of molestations by priests that were reported, most of it are people who like the sensationalism and making jokes about it. It seems much higher because of the publicity and band wagon jumpers.

I do not practice Catholicism but I grew up in an all boys Catholic school and was never once molested by the clergy.

Answer 6

As with most things, the more something is made to be bad in some way, the more it appeals to certain types of people. Banning sex is obviously a very unnatural state of affairs, and will lead to abhorrent behavior.

Since most priests last had any kind of physical contact when they were quite young, that is what they remember and so is what they are attracted too. Also it probably is easier for them to control small children, rather than older kids or adults.

That's my theory.

Answer 7

Um. It's actually EXPOSED in the USA, as opposed to other places.

Answer 8

satan is strong