Below a clip about a decree made by Pope Francis.
As a recovering Catholic (for 50 years) I may not be capable of being objective. My immediate response : “—and about fracking time!”
My perception is that the decree has been made in an effort to protect the the church from further damage. I think it’s too little, too late. I think that if Francis is not being disingenuous, then his advisors almost certainly are.
Be fascinated to learn what some of our more objective members think.
Always, these guys are too little too late. I mean is child molesting so scrumptious for the Catholic priesthood, that the hierarchy just can’t bring themselves to put a definitive end to it?
It seems to me that access to choirboys has always been seen as a perk of the job for far too many clergy. Much like Scout masters and boy scouts; both are cliches. Did not anyone realise that most cliches tend to have a base in truth?
The Pope of the day was warned about the dangers of clerical celibacy as early as the fifth century. Although preferred, clerical celibacy did not become Canon law for centuries, and there continued to be say married bishops, into the sixteenth century .
Pretty sure many first-second century priests and bishops were married.
There is absolutely nothing to prevent a pope allowing married clergy. Especially when it is understood that the pope is and has always been an autocrat.
I wouldn’t be surprised if a married clergy is permitted in the Catholic Church within the next few decades. Same with female priests, which may even come earlier.
Lack of access to women is probably not the problem. It’s more likely the rumors of a gay mafia in the church are true, and those priests are the ones molesting the boys and covering it up.
It makes you wonder about catholic priests in general. I remember reading something about priests having much lower testosterone levels than other men (though this could be because most modern priests are old). But any way you look at it, a young man giving up women for god is kind of strange even in the best case.
I would have never gone for being a Priest had I been Catholic. But neither would I have volunteered to go to war, with the high chance that I would die, even if I were going to be thought a hero for doing so. I must have had just the right amount of testosterone to just want to survive at least long enough to know what sex was like.
But yeah, let priests get married. It may or may not have much effect on child molestation, but what’s it gonna hurt? And it could be a good thing for other reasons. even.
"It makes you wonder about catholic priests in general. "
I grew up Catholic and attended a boys school run by De La Sale Brothers. I never once saw or heard about any priest acting inappropriately. Well Ok , there was one; they kept having to move him because he kept having affairs with some of the married women of his parishes.
The DeLa Salle Brothers under whose care I was placed seem in retrospect to have had an inordinate number of sadists. They beat the living crap out of us, for years. There was never a hint of any more direct sexual abuse. By the time I was in a position to sue the bastards, almost all had died .
I have long suspected that a celibate life attracts certain kinds of socially awkward and immature men .
The rate of sexual molestation may change slightly in the Catholic church due to the Popes recent ruling. Because the abuse seems to be at an institution level, I suspect real change may be limited for many years.
It is my belief such abuse happens wherever men* have power over children. I have read of it being discovered among the Amish as well as in the closed communities of Hasidic Jews.
Child abuse in the Catholic church is, I think, only the tip of a huge iceberg in terms of the rest of society…
*that should perhaps read “adults”. I do understand women also sexually abuse children, but as far as I know the scale is vastly lower. One tends to hear of women teachers seducing adolescent boys. People seem to find it difficult to take such abuse seriously. Imaging myself at say 16, and the toothsome lady lay teacher we had, it’s hard to think of such an experience as abuse. I guess I’m just shallow.
I have long suspected that a celibate life attracts certain kinds of socially awkward and immature men .Haha very true, though I just call them nerds. Here's one example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcuueGitWF0
Haha very true, though I just call them nerds. Here’s one example:
Calling them ‘nerds’ is to make them seem harmless, and is an insult to your run-of-the -mill nerds; usually guys, who may be a bit ‘of centre’; smart, shy, lacking in social skills, perhaps a bit “unfortunate looking”-------
The apparently emotionally immature clergyman in the example is a bit of a worry. I’ve met him more than once over the years. In real life I have always found such men creepy.
Meet Father Ted and Dougall:
The only way to end sex abuse by priests is to stop the celibacy requirement. Until then child sex abuse in the Catholic Church will never end. It would also help to put nuns in positions of authority.
Celibacy draws men with sexual problems into the priesthood. A church setting is the perfect place for pedophiles.
The Popes have done so little to make their church a less perfect place for pedophiles. Even the current, relatively enlightened Pope – still too little, too late. If I believed in supernatural evil, I would wonder about its hold on the Catholic Church in regards to pedophilia.
Catholics, your Church has failed. Come over to the ranks of the infidels. You will have more free time and will no longer be supporting child molestation.
Quite right Tim.
The Catholic church isa cautionary tale about the dangers of organised religion
I stand by my perception that The Church became truly corrupt/evil in the fifth century. At that time , emperor Theodosius made christianity the State religion. He approved and encouraged the persecution and murder of pagans/heretics and anyone else who did not share their version of christianity. This behaviour continued in Europe (and the New World) until the seventeenth century.
The nadir of the church as simply evil I think was reached (ironically) during the renaissance under the Borgia and Medici Popes.
To be fair, it no longer goes around burning people alive. Imo opinion a great many Catholics and protestants would still do so if they could .
It seems to me that the church will either be dragged, kicking and screaming into becoming a law abiding organisation, or it will be slowly dismantled. Of course I refer only to ‘developed countries’
Calling them ‘nerds’ is to make them seem harmless, and is an insult to your run-of-the -mill nerds; usually guys, who may be a bit ‘of centre’; smart, shy, lacking in social skills, perhaps a bit “unfortunate looking”——-Never noticed much difference. Every nerd I've gotten to know had some level of sexual maldevelopment. Nerds aren't harmless imo, they're bad for society, or at least the kind of society I want to live in.
"It makes you wonder about catholic priests in general. I remember reading something about priests having much lower testosterone levels than other men "
Well, I can remember thinking as a teen that various parish priest we had seemed rather asexual. For all I know, that may have been what I was meant to think.
As for the claim, I’d really need to see the studies used to form that conclusion. I would think that low hormone levels would mean very few child molesting priests. Unless they were sociopaths , with no conscience, it seems to me that such a priest would need high hormonal levels to go against beliefs and training.
I wish he was doing this for the right reasons, but I doubt that.
“I wish he was doing this for the right reasons, but I doubt that.”
Me too.
It’s ok, though; I’m sure Francis believes his reasons are perfectly just.