Root cause for child abuse in catholic church

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   emdiposted 14 years ago

   It was with great distress that I read the news about the child abuse scandal in catholic church. What do you think is the root cause of the problem? what change do you suggest to prevent further crimes?

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      Mark Knowlesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It is fairly obvious really.
      
      None of these people actually believe in a god, because it does not exit. But - they are prepared to say they do because of the power over others that automatically comes with being a priest.
      
      For years this has gone on, but the natural denial of reality that comes with believing in a god leads to inevitable abuses.
      
      Plus - denying one's animal instincts is extremely difficult and the church mistakenly attempts to suppress sexual energies rather than use and channel them into constructive and positive directions.
      
      Sad really - and will continue all the time the mass delusion of serving an invisible super being is prevalent. Child abuse by church employees is so widespread and accepted into our culture - despite protestations that it is not - that we will be generations removing this blight on humanity. The politicians and church leaders will always protect the abusers to ensure they keep the power they have taken.
      
      RAmen

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   Ghost32posted 14 years ago

   The obvious suspect is the time honored vow of celibacy by priests.  Just saying you don't need physical release doesn't necessarily make it so.  Historically, the remains of many infants--illegitimate offspring of nuns and the fathers who were fathers in more ways than one--have been found bricked up in church-owned walls. 
   
   As for suggesting changes, though, I have none...not being Catholic.

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      Marisa Wrightposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I agree.  The priesthood must seem an attractive option to men who are struggling with some kind of sexual problem or hang-up - I'm not suggesting they're looking for "cover" for their activities, but that they may join hoping to sublimate their urges by devoting their life to God, or to find a refuge from temptation.
      
      Given that celibacy would be so attractive to that type of man, but is clearly unattractive to any normal red-blooded male, it seems to me that the priesthood must inevitably have more than its fair share of men with 'issues'.  Some of those people do succeed in controlling themselves - others don't.

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      emdiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      but i think abusing children has nothing to do with celibacy even though there are cases when priests abuse women. Child abuse is more serious than breaking celibacy. In fact its none of our business if they break their vow, but abusing our kids is a serious crime.

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   Lisa HWposted 14 years ago

   I've heard other theories, and this is only my one guess (and nothing but a guess); but I think, in general, in order to choose to live the life a priest must live (the whole picture, not just the celibacy thing), a person has to have no problem giving up a "normal" life.  I'm sure this doesn't apply to all priests, and some people probably have their own "deal" with "signing up" to be a priest.  Still, I think the "whole set-up" invites a higher percentage of people who don't have a big problem giving up a normal life.
   
   I know that not everyone wants to marry (even if its someone of his own sex) and have a family, but that's a pretty "standard" thing for people to want.  Besides marrying and having a family, there are other aspects to an "outside" life that most people wouldn't be willing to give up.  A lot of people have no wish to "guide" anyone else, or tell them what to believe; and a lot of people, even very religious people, think they can be more use to God out in the world and doing "God's work" where it's needed.
   
   In other words, I just think the whole set up attracts a higher percentage of people who "have issues".  There's also a high number of creeps in non-Catholic churches who have "sex issues" too, so maybe there's some "wishing/needing-to-be-a-Big-Cheese" factor in a lot of people who want to be religious leaders.  Maybe the "Big-Cheese" thing factors into the pedophilia thing as well.
   
   If not the "Big-Cheese" factor, maybe it's just that the priest lifestyle offers an appealing lifestyle to someone who doesn't feel he fits into society very well (with the "added appeal" of believing that devoting life to the church is admirable and "holy").  Out of people who find that appealing, x percent have more "issues" than the rest of them.  Just my guesses.

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   Ghost32posted 14 years ago

   Well put, Lisa.

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      Jewelsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      You've put that well Lisa, that the lifestyle may be a haven for the lonely or misfits, meaning socially inept.
      
      Additionally however, when a person is put in a position of self reflection and periods of solitude which is part of the life of a priest and nun, it brings up all sorts of emotions from the deep that even the devotee didn't know they had.  I'm assuming the church has in place suitable guidance mechanisms for them to cope.
      
      What is also not commonly known, as part of a devotees experience when they do go through periods of silence and solitude, sexual awakenings occur.  They can be very intense and are often beyond the control of the devotee.  And it can be a useless pursuit to suppress these sexual urges.  Not saying all have this problem.  But imagine a priest or brother (monk) who is having these experiences, being put in charge of the vulnerable.  No guesses as to what can happen.

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   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   I dont intend getting into a long drawn out debate about this as I have studied it to death and Ireland continues to to be exposed on a daily basis to its consequences - Celebacy has absolutely nothing to do with child sexual abuse - 85% of all child sexual abuse happens within the family - is it a suggestion that marrage is the cause of child sexual abuse? The vast majority of child sexual abuse that has occured within the Catholic Church has been committed by "Homophiles" this is the psychiatric clinical definition of a person who is sexually attracted to children in their pre-puberty state but of the same sex - so for example men abusing boys or women abusing girls - this is fact. There have also been many cases of peadophiles operating within the Church - these are men/women who are sexually attracted to both male and female children in their pre-puberty state. Many studies carried out with members of religious orders who have admitted to sexually abusing children have admitted to joining the Catholic Church to get access to children.
   
   The Catholic Church is not exclusive in this regard, many Churches of all 'faiths' have been used by sexual preditors to get access to children. Sexual crime was able to go un-checked in the Catholic Church due to the relationship between Church and State in many countries including Ireland. We have found here that in two major independent reports - The Ryan Report and the Murphy report that the civil authorities assisted sexual predators to go un-punished.
   
   As you will see from the early chapters of my autobiography I was 'taught' in a Catholic school where the head master had absolute power and I was abused as a result of his un-checked behaviour. Anywhere that a person has absolute power they will abuse that power, the Catholic Church had absolute power in Ireland and many other countries and they abused that power and allowed the rape of children to go un-checked. The sexual abuse and general abuse of children derives from absolute power, when mothers/fathers, uncles/auties, grand dads/grand mams, priests/teachers sexually abuse children it is because they are given the opportunity and there is little prospect of punishment.
   
   I hope this helps those who are trying to understand the crime of child rape and sexual abuse.

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      emdiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      well said

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   theirishobserver.posted 14 years ago

   thanks

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      Justine76posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Im sorry. That sucks. well said.

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         emdiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         sorry. I didn't get it

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   thisisoliposted 14 years ago

   Why focus on the catholic church? the proestant church had 260 sexual assault cliams filed against it last year, and other denominations of Christianity have just as much trouble.

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      emdiposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      I was just wondering, why bishops did not take proper action to prevent it even though they knew about the problem?  CNN reported that the abuse cases in ireland alone is more than a thousand.

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   thisisoliposted 14 years ago

   Damn just realised that irish already raised my point!

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9. 72

   thisisoliposted 14 years ago

   To be honest I think what happened in Ireland is separate to the rest of the world on this one, as the Irish observer pointed out, religious power in Ireland is different to how it is even over the border in norther Ireland, and definitely across the waters to Wales and England.
   
   The religious misconduct in Ireland has been known about for sometime, but has only just managed to break it's way to the public's attention.
   
   Around the world however we still have numerous religions abusing young children, and having the perpetrators protected by their church.

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      srwnsonposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      An example of a church protecting a child abuser? Other then Catholic. Numerous.

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         Mark Knowlesposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Aww dear. Are you too lazy to find things for yourself?
         
         http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/ … -to-abuse/
         
         http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/13/world … 3pope.html
         
         Of course - the church calls them "mistakes".

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    isinsonposted 14 years ago

    i think....maybe about their law of celibacy, and most of the people that the priests and nuns encounter most of the time are those children who are there either to assist in holy mass or other church activities. Children are the prone victims because they are either too afraid to say no or they trusted them. i'm not sure about these things though but it's just what i think

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    Will Apseposted 14 years ago

    Often when Catholics turn from their faith they site the obsessive interest in peoples sexuality that priests exhibit. I think it is only partly the celibacy thing.
    
    Christianity has tried to control sexual relationships from the beginning. The reason is noble enough. Children born without a father have always suffered and in times gone by could have starved.
    
    Infidelity, extra marital sex, etc all destabilize families and communities. That obsessive focus on sex though cannot be good for people who have no sexual relationships of their own.

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    getitriteposted 14 years ago

    When some individuals know that there will be no consequences for their actions, it is unbelievable what the will do.

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