So how far do you want to go with this definition? An 18-year-old boy having consentual sex with his 17-year-old girlfriend is pedophilia? The 17-year-old is legally a minor. The 18-year-old is legally an adult. This is statutory rape. I don’t think anyone would call it pedophilia. Correct labels are important for intelligent discussion.
Exactly. This is why I said your attachment didn’t contradict the article from the OP.
It isn’t actually “what you call” them that matters. It is the nature of their disoder. If you want to solve a problem, it is important to know what problem to solve.
It isn’t evasion or deflection, as I already explained. Your definition of “pedophile” is flawed, as miguel pointed out in his post. A pedophile is someone who preys on pre-pubescent children. Pedophiles typically don’t distinguish between boys or girls. Ephebophiles, on the other hand, prey on pubescent minors. They prey on minors whose gender is in line with their general inclination (opposite sex or same sex). More information is needed, in order for the Church to prevent future occurence, when it comes to priestly formation. Since 80% of the cases in the US were male, pubescent minors, the Church did take action with regards to the acceptance of homosexually-oriented candidates for the priesthood.
This is/was a major problem, but it is not the focus of the article in the OP. You are correct that the Church erred in transferring abusers (regardless of whether they were pedophiles or ephebophiles). I think hope and pray that this has been handled, so that future cases will be handled swiftly and correctly. My understanding is that the Church thought that such transgressors were “fixable” through psychological therapy. Obviously, a priest who acts in this manner should be placed in a role where they don’t work closely with minors.
You may believe it but this theory has no credibity and is shot down time and time again.
Celibacy does not* cause *homosexuality. Many good men have lived celibate and served honorably. However, the celibacy mandate of the priesthood gives homosexual men a place to go so not to disgracing their families. In other words, friends and family will not wonder why 30 year old “Jimmy” doesn’t get married… or has never been seen with a girlfiend. Although the trend may be starting to slow, there is a huge gay subculture within the priesthood. Once in that environment, those that violate do so because they are overcome by temptation.
San Francisco is a “gay retreat”… The priesthood is used by some homosexual men not to revel in promiscuity, but to escape their sexuality altogether. Once in, these men come face to face with temptations of the flesh just like the rest of us. Why? Because we have a sinful human nature. I would suggest that some of these men do in fact end up treating the priesthood as a “gay retreat”. I would encourage all to read Michael Rose’s “Goodbye Good Men”. He addresses this very problem in depth.
I agree that it isn’t to be tolerated, but where in Scripture exactly did Christ say that He has no forgiveness whatsoever to those who abuse children. What about those who abuse Truth? If I am correct, He did not say that He would not forgive, but that “if anyone causes a little one who believes in Me to sin, it would have been better for him to have a boulder tied around his neck and be hurled into the sea” or something to that effect… I don’t have my Bible directly in front of me right now. The chance that someone has to reconcile with God is always constant because of His constancy in His supreme goodness, and we, as His creatures and His children, are not anointed by Him to declare otherwise about anyone - because then we judge, saying “[this person] deserves [this].”
I never said that celibacy leads to homosexuality. That was never my position! You are swinging your fists through the air trying to punch an imaginary foe.
The media in general and news media is one thing, they are in it to shock and sell a product. Grand Juries have standards and practices when handling evidence. There is a bar with reasonable doubt and probable cause used. I would take the findings of a grand jury as serious. It is all our hope that people who accuse falsely will be discovered and the people who are guilty of the crime shall be punished.