What Can the Catholic Church Do To Stop The Abuse Of Children?

Question

It has just been announced that the roman catholic church is going to have to pay another multi million dollar award to those who have been sexually abused by catholic priests:

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6984405.stm

What on earth can the church do to stop this contagion of paedophilia within its midst?

Answer 1

Have them thoroughly checked out by independent organisations before they ever get a job in the church (or anywhere for that matter) which involves them having ANY dealings with children ! ! !

Answer 2

In my mind, the confessional is the point at which the problem begins.
The fact that sin, although it affects members of the general public, is not repented of publicly, for public forgiveness, but instead in a darkened, secluded place where just two people are supposed to share a deep intimacy with the Lord is wrong. The priest, who is supposed to represent the whole community, hears stuff that the community is supposed to forgive as a whole, but he is not able to offer their forgiveness, but God's.
The fact that the community is never able to assist the person who is sinning against them because they are unaware, and the priest is not free to disclose any pertinent information, even of major criminal activity, even on pain of torture/death, means that the priest's ability to express God's forgiveness is hollow. They may receive God's grace but they need more in order to understand the effect and reality of their own sin.

While Catholics still live in the belief that they do not need to master their tendencies to sin, only conceal them until they are able to confess them to a priest, the Catholic Church will suffer as the membership, and particularly the clergy, drag it futher into the pits from which it was originally charged with saving us.

The Seminary formation process for clergy is thankfully under some degree of transformation, but until the Presbyterate is extended to include both men and women, and they allowed to marry, then the Church will continue to represent a ridiculously small fraction of the community, and despite their gallant protest that chastity is a valid and respectible charism in this day and age, all they will ever be is outcasts criticising what they see in the world, and in other Christian churches, without living it.


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and FYI, Eternal Student, there are many known and 'outed' homosexuals in ministry in the RC Church. Including those ordained in recent years, who were aware of their own sexuality throughout their Seminary years. These people are not excluded from entering presbyteral orders. They should be.

Answer 3

Paedophilia is like terrorism, it's always been here and it always will be. You can't get rid of it from anywhere in society. That's not to say you shouldn't try.

That said when school allowed caning, there were some who became teacher simply because they were sadists. And having worked in the justice system and seen too many cases of sexual touching of young boys, what better place is there to do such a horrible thing than as a trust priest.

Answer 4

Nothing at all. If you believe that training as a priest and taking vows as one makes you some sort of holy person who can do no wrong then you are going to get abuse of children but the catholic church is stuck with it as their system of control of their followers relies on having that sort of image of their priests. Once you admit that a priest can be as corrupt as any other person the whole system breaks down. Don't worry about the money the Roman Catholic church is one of the richest organisations in the world

Answer 5

I have a question for you, can you stop the abuse in the public of children? Man does what he wants and the priest are men first, then priest. Men and women have a yen, not a need in sexuality. It comes from their past but they can control it, they don't. If it can be controlled in the public realm then the church will follow.

Answer 6

You might want to take note that if you read, travel and get wise, you'll see there's a lot worse going on out there, on a much larger scale, in the world at large. For this purpose, you may very well want to pose the question, what can WE AS CITIZENS of planet earth do to stop this monstrosity. The members of a church are mere people, just like you and me, the church does not have more cases of paedophilia than say, in private homes, or at schools, it is but one institution which OUGHT to be havens of safety, however, because it is run by humans, it is prone to human errors. I'm not downsizing the problem one bit, i'm totally against this as I was molested as a child myself, by an uncle who was not a practising Christian, as I am. Maybe you should try not to get confused. Perhaps it might help you to not be naive enough to assume that because a police officer wears a police uniform, they are free from wrongdoing, such an assumption is mere folly. This may seem obvious (to any intelligent, thinking individual) but you may want to mull this one over a bit.

Answer 7

I have seriously thought about that. Ordaining only priests who are married seems like a solution, but we all know that even married men will abuse children, sometimes their own. Excluding homosexual men from priesthood (as is presently advocated) might help. However, I believe the sole fact that priests have such power over their flock, adults and children, is the reason they can abuse with total impunity. This power comes from the false idea that priests are speaking in the name of God. Not true. No one on this earth speaks in the name of God. God is in everyone's heart.
Conclusion: let there be no priests, let everyone make his/her decisions, in the light of personal ethical rules. I know this removes power from organized religion, but this is right, And the Catholic Church knows it.

Answer 8

- Punish ALL the offenders, including bishops who either participated or assisted in the abuse of children

- Reform the seminaries so they are better able to screen out the people who only want the role of priest in order to have access to victims of their sex crimes

- Parents should not allow their kids to be alone with ANY adult (even family members they trust can be perpetrators)

- Parents should foster strong relationships with their kids, because the criminals do not prey on children with strong ties to their parents.

A married priesthood or female priests is NOT a solution because married clergy and female adults also abuse children. Read the news for crying out loud! People who want to abuse children take roles in society where they have access to kids. This includes scout leaders, coaches, clergy of ALL faiths and teachers. Just this week:

Teacher/choir director for a protestant church:
http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/09/05/news/local/doc46de08e857012777355895.txt

Interesting article on why molesting schoolteachers are not stopped (from 1999 -- still true today, unfortunately)
http://www.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19991031newabuse1.asp

Dang, just google "teacher molest" or "pastor molest" and you'll see how often it happens with adults who are perfectly free to marry. Marriage isn't the "cure", folks.

Answer 9

I know!!!! Let priests get married. God said, It is not good for man to be alone. Priests used to have to be married to become a priest. You know why the Roman Catholic Church banned priests from getting married. Because they were worried that the priests children would have claim to church property.

Answer 10

Stop denying things.Stop using confession as a crutch.Deal with problems instead of 'hiding' them.And realize what a religion is supposed to be/do.Bring us closer to a higher power.If people would humble themselves and seek the Holy Spirit it may not have been so bad.When people get on a pedistal and get conceited they think,and then do bad things.
Confession isn't going to 'change' anything.Comming in contact with the Holy Spirit does.

Answer 11

The Catholic church could stop protecting its members who commit these heinous acts. Anybody who harms a child belongs in jail regardless of what position they hold in life. If the people who protect these criminals are people of God, then they shouldn't allow these crimes against God's children to persist.