Fannie's Room
If you're gathering sources, you might want to look into just how many male-priests-who-abuse-boys actually are gay.
I can't quote anything off the top of my head, but I always thought that it was a relatively small number....
Rachel,
That's a good point. Men who sexually abuse boys aren't automatically gay.
Like men in prison, some of them are perhaps sexually taking advantage of who they have access to...
Exactly. There is a huge difference between pedophilia and homosexuality.
I also think that some people will resort to alternative means of sexual contact when they are mandated into repressing their innate sexuality. (like men in prison)
...and obviously, like priests.
"4. And, the burning question for me, with regard to this entire Catholic priest scandal, is this: Has the situation turned into a scandal because the priests abused their positions of power/trust, because some of the abusive (male) priests abused boys, or some combination of these factors?"
The main reason why this is a HUGE scandal is because the RCC hierarchy enabled the abusers and covered up for them.
Other churches and organizations had and have abusers in their midst and yet, while tragic, it was dealt with so people can move on.
The RCC, however has obstructed justice and even had the audacity to blame the victims.
I am beyond pissed.
I am a cradle Catholic who, but for the grace of God, (or sheer dumb luck) could have a been a victim of one of these priests.
Jane,
True.
John,
"The main reason why this is a HUGE scandal is because the RCC hierarchy enabled the abusers and covered up for them."
That's what I'm gathering, too.
I have first hand experience with this matter.
Well, there was a mainstream article in Newsweek or msnbc.com (I think it was?) that talked about sexual abuse that happens in our schools.
It was interesting in that it alluded to the fact that school boards also often cover up for teachers who sexually abuse kids. I would LOVE to gather more info on that topic, too.
The article talked about how school systems and district boards are often faced with a double-edged sword in sexual abuse cases because it makes THEM look bad for not catching it or for hiring teachers with a past record, and they face pressures from teachers unions to not publicize it. So they often let the teachers leave quietly to another state, and inflict even more harm on more students.
once a child molester, always a child molester in my book.
my high school choir instructor was caught molesting boys in our high school and was allowed to quietly pack his bags and move to florida. i wonder what became of him.
where are the checks and balances?
Jane,
The implications are clear. Teachers and Catholics just shouldn't have kids.
I'm kidding.
What becomes more and more apparent is that "save the children" never really means "save the children." It's a political football phrase that people use to pretend they're compassionate but they don't really put it into action if it would hurt their interests, money, or power. (eg- SCHIP, sexual abuse).
Fannie,
yep. I don't understand why people like AFA and that Idiot blog who won't be named, and all those other crazy anti-homosexual/"protect the familiy" groups go after the gays, when they should be going after the guilty people who really do cause harm to children... not some anonymous, innocent gay person who would never dream of it.
I was approached by a well known pedophile priest. I was not abused, but he was grooming me. I think my experience shed some light on why some kids resist and others fall prey.
Would you be interested in hearing about my near miss?
If so, I would e-mail you.
John,
Yes: fanniesroom@gmail.com
Thanks....
The fact that the media chooses to sensationalize these horrific events makes me sad. The fact that they use them to paint a broad negative brush against the gay community just makes it worse. Statistics show that most pedophiles are straight white males.
http://www.cpiu.us/statistics.php
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