Why perpetuate the "pedophile priest" comments?

Question

Fellows,

Many people outside of serious discussion will interject "flames" regarding molestation of children by Catholic Priests and I just want to know why. Granted, they are the most publicized cases, but why feed into the media frenzy and roll with the thought that "every priest is a pedophile"?

Note this: According to Dr. Gene Abel in "Thieves of Childhood," up to 5% of the American population are child molesters.(CNN Specials Transcript #454)
Also, take into consideration that 6.7% of all teachers participate in child molestation- as much as 50.3% in some schools. (via PPSS: "Educator Sexual misconduct")
Compare this with the 4% of total priests. (via the John Jay Report)
Due to these numbers, isn't it ridiculously faulty to generalize priests? By the same logic, I can deduce that ALL Americans are pedophiles or that ALL teachers are pedophiles.

Your thoughts?

((PS. I in no way condone the actions of the accused "priests" and, in fact, believe that there is no punishment severe enough for the crimes committed. They are faulty members of society and are a disgrace to the church.))

Answer 1

Hallo Brother. From a social perspective it is en vogue to trash the Catholic Church. The bashing can come in the form of pope costumes/naughty nun outfits, sacrilegious videos on YouTube, and propaganda from any idiot with an internet connection. The Church stands for order and restraint, something our society doesn't like. Society also knows that the Church is an easy target that will not fight back. Taking shots at an authoritative institution will make an individual or group look "cool." These folks are sticking it to the "Man."

From a spiritual perspective, which is what I believe is behind the social perspective. The fallen from eons ago are at work to destroy the Church. Humanity is only too willing to oblige. Catholic priests are in charge with bringing the gospel to individuals. They are spiritual guides who have kept the mission alive since Christ breathed the Holy Spirit unto the Apostles. The faithful see priests as visual signs of Christ's Church on Earth. To discredit or destroy these signs at the front lines will do wonders to topple the Church. Or so some will think. Jesus is God and He has told us that the gates of hell will not prevail on His Church. In the words of some charming folks from the Delta Quadrant, "Resistance is futile!" Society can revolt, attack, and resist the Church at any and all level. It will not make a difference in the end. Jesus is in eternity and He has told us the results already.

So there you have it. Embracing style without substance is what makes society claim that every priest is a pedophile. Yes there are rogue priests that bring disgrace and shame to Christ's Church, but there is the remaining 96% who do what they are supposed to do. We must address the rotten 4% because they can and have brought untold suffering. But we must think clearly and look at all the facts too.

Peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your Spirit.

Answer 2

It is typical of people who get their kicks from irritating others to keep prodding at a sore spot like this one.

The fact is, there have been an unknowable number of children abused by priests in the catholic church. Most were afraid to tell anyone about the abuse, because noone would believe them - or out of fear of punishment from 'god'. These priests took advantage of the position of power that they were put into, and there is no punishment too great for those found guilty of these offenses.

Then there is the fact that the catholic church itself actively covered up allegations of abuse. Only after being forced to admit what was going on (and their attempts to cover it up) were they finally willing to pay damages to the victims. (Not that any amount of money will ever heal the scars that those victims bear).

Now, with that said - there are always going to be people who try to take advantage of a situation like this - expect false allegations, and all manner of frivolous lawsuits, etc.

In the meantime, the catholic church itself has a lot of work to do if it is every going to regain the trust of many people both inside and outside of the church. It will have to take allegations seriously - and be seen to be actively working towards eliminating the problem altogether. Unfortunately some innocent priests will probably get swept up in the controversy, but if they are open and honest, they should be able to clear their names.

In most cases (especially in politics) it's not the crime you commit (which is bad enough) it's the cover-up that ends up getting you in the end.

Answer 3

because: 1

the catholic church ignores or condones it with its silence and "slap on the wrist" punishments. they need to work with local law enforcement not against them.

2- the catholic church provides a heaven for these type of people. a pedophile can hide there and not arouse suspicion as priests are not supposed to marry and a sexual predator has the benefit of hiding out in the clergy and not arousing suspicion

3- it is far worse when a priest does it (with the exception of a parent) because these children are taught to give thier trust to a priest, there is a specific relationship between a spiritual advisor and a parishner to the point that the law even recognizes a specific priveledge. thus they have violated a heavy trust and abused the child.

4- just thought I would mention it twice because it counts twice against the church- THE CHURCH DOES NOTHING AND HAS PUT FORTH NO MEANINGFULL EFFORT TO STOP OR EVEN CURB THIS ACTIVITY. they have actually done the opposite and attempt to frustrate investigations and hand out meaningless penalties to priests.

Answer 4

The homosexual pedophile priests are committing the worst of crimes. Neverthless, there is still forgiveness of their sins for those of them who repent.

The worst offenders are the bishops and higher who help hide and perpetuate this abomination. A number of bishops knew about the abuses, knew that they were still practicing their abomination, and yet they assigned them to be leaders of the Boy Scouts in their area. They are the worst. These bishops abondoned the abused children on the one hand and on the other they abandoned the pedophile priests by not counseling them and bringing them to repentance. Instead, they fed their sinfulness by assigning them to new parishes where their pedophilia was no known.

Answer 5

All of those numbers frighten and disgust me. I think any organization that increases contact between adults and children only serves to exacerbate the danger. I also will not have anything to do with the big brothers/big sisters charity for the same reasons.

It's more disgusting coming from a man who is assumed to be an example of godliness and absolutely betrays that trust.

Answer 6

While you all make valid points, being Catholic, I get it and am disgusted like everyone else that certain higher ups in the church protected these horrible priests. However, what I find interesting is that there are pedophile priests/clergy/lay people in ALL CHURCHES. You only hear about the Catholic Church because it's the richest one. If you want to rant, rant equally.

Answer 7

It's probably the hypocrisy of the situation, made worse by the cover-up of the Catholic Church. Plus, they're just flaming.

By flaming I mean trolling, too.

Answer 8

There have been virtually no cases of pedophilia by priests. Men who make sexual advances toward adolescent boys are not pedophiles. They are homosexuals. The press likes to characterize these priests as "pedophiles" because the term evokes a stronger emotional response from readers, and because it avoids casting homosexuality, one of the liberal secular media's golden calves, in a negative light.

Answer 9

considering the opportunistic situation they work in, the closed shop environment and the life style they share then I think that there will be an iceberg phenomona to the depth of this issue. Lets go for 12% as a conservative number involved. oops...hang on 8 x 4 = 32 % involvement

Answer 10

I think it's a function of 'holier than thou' attitudes. We like to think we're better than others. What better group to trod upon than the anointed few of the priesthood.

Personally I view pedophile priests and others afflicted with paraphillas to be deserving of our sympathy and medical treatment -- but the cries of the victims seem louder than those of the perpetrators.