Why does the Catholic Church condone pediphilia?

Question

The church actually has insurance policies to protect it against the kinds of law suits. The leadership has knowingly moved active pediphiles to different parishes, they deny, deny and dny, while behind closed doors, they openly discuss the issues brought about by this a-moral behavior. I bet that there will be someone who responds this post that will condone the behavior and make an excuse for their lack of interest in protecting our children.

Answer 1

As one of the richest institutions on the face of the planet, they don't want to lose any more money than they absolutely have to because when it comes down to it, it is a business decision, and limit the liability and save the ship is more important than the lives ruined by the priests that the catholic church tries to protect.

Answer 2

The Catholic Church does NOT condone pedophilia, and it is an outright lie to say so. Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Canon Law and see for yourself -- there is NOTHING that condones pedophilia and many statements that ban illicit sexual behavior and crimes against children.

I do not condone pedophilia in any way, shape or form, nor do I believe that the Catholic leadership responded to this problem properly. I think any attacking priest should go to jail forever. And yes, I am Catholic.

We have had problems with child molesters posing as clergy and attacking children, same as any other church and public schools, scout troops, etc. The rate of pedophilia among Catholic clergy is exactly the same as any other population group, we just get more press.

The insurance policies are there to protect the INNOCENT, not the guilty. If a priest is accused and found guilty, it is perfectly appropriate for the Church to pay retribution, because the Church is responsible for weeding out these false clergymen and protecting youngsters. However, these settlements are expensive, and since MOST Catholic priests and people are perfectly innocent, they shouldn't have to bear the entire financial burden for a few criminals.

Yes, *at one time* the leadership of the Catholic Church moved pedophiles to other parishes, because back in the 1960s and 1970s, that's what they were told to do by psychiatrists who believed that you just had to remove a pedophile from temptation. Now everybody knows better and that course of action is no longer taken. Now a priest is supposed to be turned over to authorities immediately and removed from all contact with children and laypeople.

Please get your facts straight. This problem has been and is being addressed. In fact, no institution has made more changes to address this policy than others that have the same problem, namely public schools.

If you were giving equal time to other churches, public schools, boy scouts, etc., who also have pedophile problems, and if you had at least TRIED to be accurate on the Catholic position on pedophilia, I would have no qualms about your statement. As it is, though, you operate on assumptions, not facts.

Answer 3

The Church has never condoned pedophilia.

About 30 years ago, a handful of homosexual priests seduced teenage boys. Some bishops misunderstood this as a case for forgiveness rather than cleaning house. The resultant lawsuits have driven dioceses into bankruptcy.

Both the homosexual priests and the bishops who failed to take decisive action have long since been removed. The Catholic Church has more active screening and training of priests, ministers, and lay volunteers than any other religious organization.

The actual incidence of convictions of Catholic priests is about the same as Protestant ministers and rabbis, and somewhat below the incidence of school teachers and sports coaches. Seducing and abusing children is a serious danger whenever adults are placed in positions of trust.

Those who attack the Church for the actions of a few bad priests over 30 years ago are not making good generalizations about the Church today.

Bruce

Answer 4

I am not Catholic or even Christian, so keep that in mind while reading on...

Your rant is so full of fallacies it actually hides a legitimate question:

1 - It is your opinion that the church condones anythng. We all know it is not official church doctrine or policy to condone abuse, so let's not pretend we want to have an intelligent discussion when you use language like that.

2 - Every organization of any size, especially one that deals with close contact with children has insurance policies like that. You have insurance on your car, does that mean you condone wrecks? You demonstrate misunderstanding the purpose of insurance.

Anyway, I can go on but I won't. maybe others will list the rest of the nonsense.

Instead, let's be constructive.

What would you do to remedy the situation in order to make sure children are protected in the future, which is a worthy goal?

How would *you* implement that in an organization on the scale of the Catholic Church, where changes are measured in centuries historically?

How would you do that *without* implementing any new laws or regulations, as those would be unconstitutional?

Be sure to include a reasoned understanding of the research literature into who gets abused, whey, and when (it exists, so know it or run the risk of being exposed that you don't if you bluff)

Go ahead, tell us what is really on your mind besides nonsense rants? If anything? :)

Answer 5

You might as well ask why do all doctors condone malpractice because all doctors have malpractice insurance.

In every population of human beings are going to a few sick or evil people who commit horrible crimes, even in the Church.

No one condones this behavior but no one can stop it all before it happens.

These few terrible people do not negate the faith, hope and love of over one billion Catholics.

Remember that the Church is not the Church hierarchy or the priests. The Church is God and His relationship with over one billion living Catholics on Earth and God only knows how many in heaven, all of whom make up the Body of Christ.

Remember that scandals in nations, even up to and including the highest leaders, like President Nixon and the Watergate scandal, do not make the nation as a whole wrong, immoral, or worthless. And the Catholic Church is so much holier and more important than any nation.

With love in Christ.

Answer 6

They are looking at the big picture and opening themselves to lawsuits. The loss of face and money is something the church doesn't want to risk. The Church is consisted of middleage single men who have forsaken the female side of themselves and closed ranks with misogynists. Women and children are the least of their concerns, they look at the whole. Why would anyone allow a man who has not walked a mile in their shoes to give opinions on sex, birth control, marriage and reproduction methods. They will never know loss, pain, anguish when one has to look at the loss of innocence and trust in a child that has been raped and betrayed by the one person that should be able to trust outside of the home.

Answer 7

The church use to have policies to protect it against lawsuits. It is no longer insurable. There is such a shortage of priests that the church probably buried its head in the sand until it got to be too much.

Answer 8

if this is true, its not to condone the acts, but to protect themselves from losing money in lawsuits, and also to protect reputation.........they cannot control another human's behavior, so they are protecting themselves against the consequences of that persons behavior, as it doesnt necessarily represent the whole behavior of the establishment.

Answer 9

Sex with minors is strongly condemened by the teachings of the Catholic Church and its laws

Answer 10

they dont condone it, they just dont know its going on, and even if they did know they wouldn`t lift a holy finger to stop it until the priest was discovered, think about it what better way to abuse a child, is to become a priest.