Catholic Priests and Paedophilia?

Question

Does anybody think Catholic Priests not being able to have sexual realtions contributes at all to Paedophilia in the Catholic Church?
I personally think these people would be Paedophiles anyway.
I don't think being a Catholic Priest can make someone a Paedophile, I think it is the individual man.
Any other opinions on this?

Answer 1

Celibacy (no sexual relations) does not make anybody a pedophile. A normal person who is vowed to celibacy but strays from his vows, will be seeking an adult sex partner.
If a pedophile were to marry, he would molest his own children as well as others he encounters.
Whatever the merits of a married clergy might be, it would not prevent pedophilia.
And, it is not only Catholic clergy who abuse their positions in this way. It is just as common among Protestant clergy. I have worked with sex abuse victims and I can vouch for this. But there are so many different Protestant denominations, that it becomes impractical to make a spectacle of any one denomination.
The same kind of abuse occurs among teachers and other professionals too.
And the same kinds of cover-ups are traditional in all these cases.
It doesn't help to demonize, for instance, the Catholic Church, when the problem is endemic throughout society. We need to develop ways to protect our children and prosecute the guilty, wherever they may be.

Answer 2

You're making a false assumption. Look at how many republicans are paedohiles, yet we don't assume that since you're a republican, you're either a little boy grabber or closeted homosexual.

Just re-read your statement. Yeah, the person has to already have tendencies towards this kind of action. However, the situation is exacerbated by being in a community that you know will cover up your indiscrepencies

Answer 3

I suppose there is something to be said for a sexual release with a consenting woman rather than a small child...I agree with you. And I certainly think it's the individual. Someone told me once, although this may or may not be true, that years ago, men having homosexual thoughts entered the priesthood as a means of forgivness from God for their sins.

Answer 4

I think paedophilia's come in all shapes and forms unfortunately. And because it involved priests it got a lot of attention. Basically Imacatholic2 sum up the best answer.

Answer 5

Men who want to touch little boy's willy's are sick puppies, no matter whether they wear a collar or not. If a man is normal, he will be interested in girls, not little boys. I'm a guy and I love girls. I don't even think I could force myself to touch a little boy's pee-pee. So, no , I do not think it is because priests are required to be celibate. Normal celibate priests may have the yen to do a nun every now and then, but that's actually quite normal. The men who have this sick mentality are all pedophiles and all deserve to be castrated.
Hmmm Touchy subject for me I guess. ;-)

Buzzy

Answer 6

I think you're wrong, period.

If a priest gave into his urges, he would seek a woman, not a child. That is, unless the priest in question suffers from a sexually disordered inclination - separate from his choice to practice abstinence.

Abstinence does not cause sexual disorders.

Answer 7

I think all paedophillia's should be shot. Or have there genitals attatched to the bumper of a truck and dragged through the neighborhood. There's no excuse for it, period. And only way to stop it is by handing out tougher punishments.

Answer 8

I think it is more likely the priest is already a pedophile before he becomes one (a priest) and thinks he can hide being the collar. Nuns don't have sex either and you dont see them molesting children.

Answer 9

These people have to take vows of celibacy at an early age. I think this is in itself a perversion and leads to all sorts of psychological problems that normal people don't have

Answer 10

I agree with you 100%. The old way of thinking just made it a land of opportunity for the person who had that tendency anyway.