A preliminary report commissioned by the nation's Roman Catholic bishops to investigate the clergy sex abuse scandal has found no evidence that gay priests are more likely than heterosexual clergy to molest children, the lead authors of the study said Tuesday.
The fault, Dear Catholics, lies not in your stars...
The question has been raised repeatedly within and outside the church because the overwhelming majority of known victims were boys. As part of the church's response to the crisis, the Vatican ordered a review of all U.S. seminaries that, among other issues, looked for any "evidence of homosexuality" in the schools.
"What we are suggesting is that the idea of sexual identity be separated from the problem of sexual abuse," said Margaret Smith of John Jay College, in a speech to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "At this point, we do not find a connection between homosexual identity and the increased likelihood of subsequent abuse from the data that we have right now."
But don't worry, any Catholics who may be looking in. Your church is still homophobic and generally sex-negative.
In a separate move on Tuesday, the bishops adopted a pastoral letter affirming the church's definition of marriage being between one man and one woman, and that sex is meant for procreation.
1 comment:
Frankly, I feel the problem lies with the repression of sexuality rather than orientation. Add to this the misogynistic practises which separate women from men, and you have a recipe for homosocial and potentially homosexual behaviour--which means, in a community where judgment is levied for that behaviour, the practise must be suppressed, hidden and lied about.
It's another reason I'm not Catholic.
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