Scapegoat of recent scandal?

[prayerwarriordeh5588]

I am sickened by the recent media reports of child abuse at the hands of priest in Pennsylvania; and the mishandling by the bishop to cover it up. Aside from a lot of prayer for forgiveness, our efforts should be towards preventing the abuse from happening. “If you see something, say something”

Additionally, each of us should find out the appropriate means of reporting any suspicious incident so that it is investigated and prosecuted, if need be.

 

[pnewton]

I thought it was men who had “deep seated homosexual inclinations”.

Sure sounds like scapegoating to me.

I am sorry if my short cut of the language was confusing. I thought most wound understand it. You are correct and more accurate, of course, but making a case of scapegoating because I typed three (3) characters rather than thirty-two (32) is thin.

The change was based on what the facts showed and was geared toward a quick and drastic reduction in child abuse. As this has worked, I think it was a good idea.

 

[joeybaggz]

As I said on another post of a similar nature; if I’m playing baseball and I’m hitting seventh in the lineup and the six batters in front of me were all “beaned” in the head by a fastball, I’m not going up to the plate until the umpire throws that pitcher out of the game.

 

[SeriousQuestion]

I’m afraid I don’t understand your baseball metaphor.

 

[EnglishTeacher]

Anybody else had the impression that after the recent sexual abuse scandal certain Catholic circles are looking for a scapegoat? I have the impression some people are pushing the equation ssa=abuse of children and young boys and pushing for a purge of people with ssa (even of people living chastely) in priesthood and consecrated life.

No, I have not seen this. Men who live chastely in the priesthood, regardless of what their attractions might be, are not the problem, and people know this. The scandal clearly was not caused by people who were living their priesthood or consecrated life in chastity. But when a significant majority of the abuse scandals in the priesthood are male on male, we would be foolish to ignore that the Church has had a problem with homosexuality in the priesthood. (Note that the instances of abuse has gone WAY down since the Church implemented policies to reform the seminaries, extensively screen candidates for priesthood, and require Safe Environment training in the parishes.)

What I have seen is people defensively jumping on the bandwagon to accuse Bishop Morlino (whose letter was excellent, by the way) and others of scapegoating Catholics with SSA. Basically they are twisting his words or reading into them something that is not there.

 

[joeybaggz]

SQ, it is a little arcane. The thrust of what I am saying is, not every pitcher who throws a fastball is a threat. But if a certain “clique” of pitchers regularly throw at a batter to injure, then I want that “clique” thrown out of the game … or at least not allowed to pitch anymore.
My point is that we do have to make judgments on others based on past performance. If there is some serious tendency that exists in a group of people, that needs to be recognized and action taken.
Would you let an otherwise highly qualified scientist be an astronaut if he suffers from vertigo.
Would you let a blind person perform open heart surgery, regardless of how intelligent.
If 80% of people who walk along a certain trail in a forest get bitten by a rattlesnake, do you want to walk down that path.
If the odds are 2:1 against if you put your $100 dollars on odd or even at the roulette wheel, and 38:1 against if you pick green 0, where do you bet. What percentage is better in your favor?
I could go on. I hope you get my point. I think there are fine men who are afflicted with a SSA that could control themselves. The problem is, in one state, 1000 cases of abuse, 80% of which are of a homosexual nature. Yea it is a tough decision, but one has to play the percentages.

Edited to say. I have to learn to use the question mark key.

 

[jeannetherese]

Would you anticipate those without deep seated homosexual inclinations to self-identify as gay?
I would think that the choice to self-identify as such, might be a clue.

 

[catholic1seeks]

Absolutely disgusting cartoon from National Catholic Register.

Shame on them. Scapegoating homosexual people.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

 

[BoomerangToo]

If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck…you’re not “scapegoating” when you recognize it’s a DUCK.

 

[SeriousQuestion]

There is an obvious connection. Maybe it is because they are a victim group that there is a sort of diversion towards it.

 

[pnewton]

Absolutely disgusting cartoon from National Catholic Register.

Shame on them. Scapegoating homosexual people.

Only those homosexuals who abused kids, which not all by a long shot. It is not right to equate all homosexuals with pedophiles.

 

[Thorolfr]

Absolutely disgusting cartoon from National Catholic Register.

Shame on them. Scapegoating homosexual people.

Are you surprised? In my opinion, no person who is homosexual can easily find a place in the Catholic Church. Even those who are chaste will arouse suspicion. And with the scapegoating now underway, it will only get worse.

 

[EnglishTeacher]

I don’t see how it is scapegoating homosexual people.

 

[Thorolfr]

I don’t see how it is scapegoating homosexual people.

If the priests had been preying on underage girls, both young children and 16 year old girls, as well as adult women, would the National Catholic Register have had a cover with the words: Sex Scandal, Cover Up, Infidelity, Heterosexuality, Licentiousness? Would “heterosexuality” have been one of the things that was highlighted?

 

[EnglishTeacher]

Even those who are chaste will arouse suspicion.

No. This problem was caused by people who were the opposite of chaste.

 

[Thorolfr]

Thorolfr:

Even those who are chaste will arouse suspicion.

No. This problem was caused by people who were the opposite of chaste.

Of course, the priests were supposed to have been chaste, too. But they weren’t. And people will probably suspect that other gay people who say they’re chaste really aren’t. And just from reading many of the threads here, some people still imply that gay people are by their very nature more likely to be predators than straight people and can’t be trusted around children or are at the very least, mentally ill.

 

[EnglishTeacher]

And just from reading many of the threads here, some people still imply that gay people are by their very nature more likely to be predators than straight people or are at the very least, mentally ill.

I hope not. I haven’t seen that, but of course there are a many threads around here with tons of posts. Perhaps I am overly optimistic, but I have a great deal of faith that my fellow Catholics have the ability and common sense to distinguish that attraction to the same sex does not equal unchastity, much less predatory behavior. I think Catholics as a whole are generally pretty balanced on this subject. (Growing up in the evangelical world, I never even heard of the concept that there could be such a thing as a same-sex attracted person living in chastity. Perhaps things have changed now with more awareness on the subject, but 20 years ago, that was an unheard-of idea in those circles.)

 

[pnewton]

Would “heterosexuality” have been one of the things that was highlighted?

Good point, and one that would apply to the cartoon, though not necessarily to all that has been done. I would say a better analogy would be if it was discovered that 80% of offenders had something else, like had been previously married or actively sexual before renouncing that for the priesthood, that that bar would have also been made.

but I have a great deal of faith that my fellow Catholics to have the ability and common sense to distinguish that attraction to the same sex does not equal unchastity, much less predatory behavior.

Absolutely. That is not quite the issue here which is more practical than it is anything else.

 

[EnglishTeacher]

If the priests had been preying on underage girls, both young children and 16 year old girls, as well as adult women, would the National Catholic Register have had a cover with the words: Sex Scandal, Cover Up, Infidelity, Heterosexuality, Licentiousness? Would “heterosexuality” have been one of the things that was highlighted?

I see your point, but I still do not see it as scapegoating anyone. It is a fact that homosexuality in the priesthood and seminaries is one of the roots (among others) of the abuse scandals. With a significant majority of the crimes being male on male, I don’t see how it can be denied.

Confronting that fact is not the same thing as blaming homosexuals in general for the crisis; I don’t believe the Register was doing that at all.

 

[Nichole]

I have to tell you I have an opinion on this. I lived in a convent for several weeks, and as a woman with SSA (I am not a practicing lesbian, but I resist the temptation to give into this sin in my life) It is a lot harder to live in an environment with those of the same sex with this temptation than you may think. I am actually glad that I did not last in the convent. I couldn’t have handled it. Does that mean everyone is like me? I wouldn’t say so, but its no where near as easy as you may think to live in close quarters with the same sex when you are attracted to them. Its not about a scapegoat for abuse. They are doing men a favor when they carefully consider if they should be priests or not when they have ssa. And there is a difference between attraction between men, and pedophila, but that really is not the issue here even if you try and make it that.