repoman

I have been reading about this topic quite a bit and have come to the conclusion that most of the problems with the church have to do with the coverups and way monolithic organizations work.

Personally, I think that child molestation and the seduction of teenagers (which some call molestation) are problems everywhere, but in public school, for example, one strike and your out. Its funny, but while I was serving a breakfast fundraiser for a local county prosecutor my table was laughing their asses off at the decision that the church would only go after serial offenders. This halfway decision isn't going to make anyone happy. Bill Maher was right in calling it the Thin Black Line.

But when it come to changes in the church such as married priests, women priests, more laity oversight -- I am not sure what will happen, but I think any of these will help. I don't even know why I am thinking of suggestions for the church - I would rather it keep on pushing its luck until even more people leave it. But the children that are being hurt must be helped.

What do you guys think of the Cardinal who said that the church was trying to find a way to prevent the clegy from be dominated by gay men. Was he out of line, or farsighted? From the statistics I've read (but which are far from commonly reported) a vast majority of the "molestation" are in fact seductions of teenage boys. Now as a straight man, teenage girls set my teeth on edge, so wouldn't one assume that men who seduce TEENAGE boys are likely to be totally gay.

So how can we break up the old gay boys club? Well, by getting married guys and women as priests! The women especially would not tolerate any molestation or seduction. Listen, I am not saying that gay men are more likely normally to have sex with teenagers, but the lack of scrutiny and punishment could have encouraged it. I don't screw 16 yo girls because I don't want to get screwed by 250 pound guys in prison.

The funniest and saddest part of this story just how trained these catholic sheep are that they tell priests about molestation but not the cops. Fucking lemmings! I heard an interview on tv with a guy who told a head priest that he was molested and in turn was molested again for a long time by that head priest. I can't imagine the terrible stress that guy is living under.

sullster

The Catholic Church has never looked at its followers as individuals. Its followers are the masses and priests must interceed between the masses and the vengeful diety. The only time the church's ideology was almost fatally threatened was during Protestant Reformation and the church counter-attacked with its Counter-reformation which further entrenched its viewpoints.

There are inheretors of the Counter-Reformation in charge of the church and they will not let an issue such as priest pedophilia deter them. Let's face it, the Church stopped the spread of the Reformation and recaptured large areas of Europe which had gone Protestant in the late 16th century. The church weathered the Enlightenment and has survived the scientific revolutions. This is an institution that will survive because it always believes that the ends justify the means. It is a theocratic empire and will do whatever it can to survive.

Where will it head? It will head towards where it always has. It will close ranks, entrench, stir up credulity with miracles or excorcisms and curtail its followers from having any effect on decisions. This storm will pass and the money will come back. The church thinks in centuries not in days. It will continue to expand in Third World countries and anchor itself there until the pedophile crisis fades.

Jimmy Higgins

I can tell ya where it should go.

1) Get rid of the damn hierarchy.

2) End the conveyor belt masses and quotes and sayings and sermons.

3) Start teaching and living the life of Christ, not about the next fundraiser.

The Resistance

How about simply into extinction? I think the Vatican's lack of a firm response is proof enough that the only thing worse than religion is a religion with a hierarchy attached to it.

IvanK

You said, "Catholic Church head." Huh-huh. Huh. Huh-huh. [/Beavis voice]

Bree

You're saying that you think this is the best measure of prevention - heterosexual men and women?

I'm confused as to why people automatically assume that the majority of these predators are homosexual, and I'm surprised that so many offer up the heterosexual option as the best fix. Don't you think that deviance in that kind of un-supervised, hide-behind-the-Vatican environment is bound to crop up, no matter who is at the head of the local organisation?

lunatic.retired

where should the catholic church head?....back under the slimey rock it crawled out from. lets not forget this abuse problem is not a new thing,this has been going on for centuries. these bastards are untouchable, the mafia would love to operate with the immunity the scum catholic church has. <img src="graemlins/banghead.gif" border="0" alt="[Bang Head]" />

wordsmyth

All I have to say is, practice what you preach...

Matthew 18
7 "Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!
8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.
9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.


"Now Father, which part was it that caused you to sin?" &lt;snip, snip&gt;