Did The Priesthood Become A Refuge For "Different" Men?

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GUYMAN

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I can’t help but feel the answer to my question is yes. By different I mean men attracted to other men, to children, etc. “I’ll never fit in might as well become a priest”. I have no doubt some (probably many) men entered in this way and became good faithful priests. But I also think it brought in bad actors. And should we want men to enter the priesthood for that type of reason?
 
Then how do the abusive ones slip through ? The screening process clearly needs a massive overhaul . Sorry not having a go, Father, just sometimes feels like this is never ending. What more will come out over the years doesn’t bear thinking these are not isolated cases 😦
 
halogirl said:
Then how do the abusive ones slip through ? The screening process clearly needs a massive overhaul . Sorry not having a go, Father, just sometimes feels like this is never ending. What more will come out over the years doesn’t bear thinking these are not isolated cases 😦
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Admission to the Bar also has ethical requirements. And yet there are immoral lawyers.

No system is perfect. Also, the 60s were crazy!
 
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The vast majority of abusive priests were in past decades when presumably the screening was not so good. Many of those priests are now dead, retired, laicized.
 
halogirl said:
Then how do the abusive ones slip through ? The screening process clearly needs a massive overhaul . Sorry not having a go, Father, just sometimes feels like this is never ending. What more will come out over the years doesn’t bear thinking these are not isolated cases 😦
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That’s largely in the past.
Since 2002 we have fingerprints and screening and all kinds of education.

The problem we have now is, entrenched clerics in positions of power who think change is for everyone else. And those guys are high profile, and unfortunately get too much attention.
The priests on the street are very upright men now.
 
goout said:
The problem we have now is, entrenched clerics in positions of power who think change is for everyone else. And those guys are high profile, and unfortunately get too much attention.
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They are also aging out and retiring and passing away. Soon that whole generation will be out of the picture, hopefully replaced by a new generation of up-and-comers who will have learned from their predecessors’ mistakes.
 
Hello Guyman ,if you are a practicing Catholic this could be a question you could ask your priest.
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As awful as all this is, I don’t see it as a particularly greater tribulation than every other huge tribulation the Church has faced for literally centuries.

We have always had problems with corrupt clergy, unfortunately. Being a priest presents temptations, a bishop even more temptations.
 
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Do you think children were not involved in many past disasters of the church?

Do you think that clergy and religious never abused children before the 20th century? Some of them most likely did and it just wasn’t reported…just like child abuse everywhere else in society in those days wasn’t reported. It might not have even been regarded as abusive.

Please be realistic.
 
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I am not going to normalise this which I what I feel I am being expected to do when looking at the history of the church
 
Like ‘this went on for years but it won’t any more it was a 60s thing ’ doesn’t cut it for me. Time will tell I guess. Please remember that I’m not a cradle catholic and feel grossly disillusioned right now (not even been a year )
 
Particularly in the 1960s this was common. Some due to men seeking a place to live in close contact with other men without raising suspicion. The Sexual Revolution also played a part, it effected all of American culture, seminaries included.

Screening has gotten better every decade since, and is quite good now.

Unfortunately there have been other scandals in the Church’s history (cf Borghese, Medici and Borgia families), but none of those marked the end times, neither.

No one knows the day nor the hour.

Deacon Christopher
 
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Whenever anyone tries to post realistically what happened, we unfortunately get accused of minimization, or not being upset enough, or something. Often posts get flagged and other things happen too.

To factually state why something happened and why we think it will happen less in the future in the USA (I can’t speak for what’s going on in other countries as I’m not there and don’t know) is not minimizing.

Unfortunately, this topic seems to trigger a lot of emotional reactions, which makes it difficult to discuss. The reality is that our concern about children’s welfare in society generally is a relatively recent phenomenon, our understanding as a society overall about child sexual abuse and the damage it does is even more recent, and as our understanding has evolved we have taken more steps in all walks of society to fix it. Stating this doesn’t amount to minimizing the problem.

I’m muting the thread now because I think I’ve said enough, and I also think that whatever anyone says from a logical perspective is neither what some other posters want to hear, nor is a rational view of the subject welcome on this forum. Which is unfortunate, as it would be nice to be able to have a balanced discussion, but that’s not happening here.
Bye.
 
Ok. I hope I haven’t upset you as I do think you are a valuable and kind person to have on the forums and I enjoy your contributions. Glad we can agree to disagree amicably
 
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