Father Michael asks some good questions.
These is no psychological classification of “ephebophile.” An ephebophile is just a homosexual who likes teenage boys, just as there are many adult heterosexuals (such as Roman Polanski) who like teenage girls. The term ephebophile is a smokescreen to disguise the fact that some homosexuals have teenage victims.
I do not know whether homosexuals are more youth-oriented than heterosexuals are. There is some evidence that I cite in my book that they, but it is not overwhelming. What is firmly established is that homosexuals have far more sexual partners than heterosexuals do, and this means more victims.
Have the seminaries changed? I do not know. The bishops say they have changed, but the bishops also assured us there was no problem to begin with. I do not believe any fact that a bishop asserts until I have verified it.
Also, remember that the reforms that costly legal settlements have forced bishops to make are limited to the United States; I must assume that seminaries and clergies in many parts of the world are similar to what they were in America at the highest level of abuse. A priest in an Hispanic country has told me that things are as bad there now as they ever were in the United States, and the government and the bishops collude to hide the problem
“I do not believe any fact that a bishop asserts until I have verified it. ”
Well put, Lee, well put. Just don’t go telling Absp. Chaput. 😉
You know, Lee, if the USCCB spent as much serious effort confronting the problem of clerical sex abuse as it does on lobbying Congress on health-care legislation, the former problem would not have been so widespread.
Then again, the USCCB isn’t about following God or Christ. It’s all about aggrandizing enough secular power for itself.
“The Road to Hell is Paved with the Skulls of Bishops.”
I am embarassed and insulted by the non actions and obfuscation of the Bishops.
I don’t trust any of them !!!
You are absolutely correct. Back when I was most active fighting clerical sex abuse I researched pedophilia for four years. There was no mention of “ephebophilia” in the DMSR. The only groups using that term were the Catholic treatment centers and they made great claims for the rehabilitation of molesters who are supposedly ephebohiles. Not only that but they are still claiming it. I’ve been telliong people for years that the only difference between those who molest pre-pubescent children and those who molest pubescent xhldren is the age of the vistim. The consequences are the same. I also had to come to the conclusion that there are homosexual molesters and heterosexual molesters and that we have many more gay priests molesting boys rhan those molesting girls. It is very politically correct to deny that and not politically correct to affirm that. I hope the hierarchy does more to clean up the seminaries than to clean up women religious’ communities.
An earlier John Jay study suggested that priests with female victims abused fewer victims over a longer period of time than their homosexual counterparts.
Indeed, in my experience with one particular abuser, he was a sort of “serial monogamist.” That is, he had a succession of what he called “girlfriends” over several decades.
I disagree with males being less likely to report, however. Each had their form of social stigma. For boys, it was the homosexual stigma. For girls, it was the (very strong) stigma which blamed the female for “tempting” the priest.
Add to that that girls have always been regarded as less credible.
Our experience in advocacy suggests that the actual number of incidents with children is much less skewed towards males than the first John Jay study would suggest. The second studies findings concerning the different pattern of abuse between boys and girls backs this up.
The Roman Catholic Church Throughout The World, is an instrument of the devil. It has been such, since St. Paul died in the middle of the first century .Once he and the rest of the apostles were gone ,who could fight against the Romans.? Paul was the last to say there would be”Anathema” . It happened . No one was strong enough in “The Word of Christ” who could defend against the evil doers. Some parts of Christ’s Words were left to appease the “real believers” into believing what [ the Romans ] said was all right. We now know the “real story'” SO LETS ALL GET OUT OF THIS HELISH PLACE AND FIND OUR” REAL JESUS”.THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN, THE CHURCH IS YOU AND I. There were no Huge Cathederals to worship, no little sweet chapels, just homes and rooms and beaches ,etc., where ever believers were, there was “church”. Let it now be the same.Let the RCC go where it belongs.
Glorybe1929 u r a LOONY!
the ONE HOLY CATHOLIC and APOSTOLIC church is the one JESUS founded on the rock, St. Peter.
Tony de New York, with all due respect, you sound like one of those Catholics who are in denial about what the Church has become. Do you seriously believe that Jesus or St. Peter would condone the evil — and, more appropriately, the refusal to do anything about it — that the Church has done in their names?
Do you seriously believe that there ever would have been a Council of Trent or a Jesuit order if it weren’t for Luther and the Reformation?
All hierarchical, centralized bureaucracies — regardless of the ideologies or theologies driving those bureaucracies — are focused on self-preservation and self-enhancement, especially if those bureaucracies cultivate arrogance in their members and discourage any sort of accountability, let alone from the people whom they claim to serve.
Don’t believe me? Just look at what happened to the Soviet Union under Gorbachev.
You have indeed hit on something here Joseph. Before becoming a priest my training was in psychology and social work, and I believe that what you said about hierarchical, centralized bureaucracies would be backed up by research, not to mention human experience. Though I believe in the petrine minisrty and the apostolic succesion of bishops, I don’t believe the Church has to run in the way we presently experience. In ancient times bishops were elected by their people and clergy and shared the life of their community. Even now in the eastern churches, people and clergy have a say over who their bishop is. In God’s providence, the people now have easy access to knowledge about scripture, tradition and doctrine. They, whether “conservative” or “liberal”, demand accountability from their pastors.
I live in Mexico. Your remark that other countries (not English-speaking) are still in denial is an understatement. When the future document of Benedict XVI to the Irish bishops is even brought up here, the usual reply is: “That’s not for us; it’s for the Irish bishops.” It would be much better for the Irish document to speak to all countries, with no favoritisms. Why are we in Mexico and other second and third-world countries being totally ignored? It goes entirely against the “option for the poor.” In the United States you at least have agencies to which you can “report suspicious behavior.” We have nothing of the kind here. Truly bewildering.