Why is it children?

[Anonymous]

Why is it children who priests are assaulting? I really don’t get it. People say that it’s because the Catholic Church does not accept gay people, but in that case why wouldn’t it be priests having sex with other priests?
I don’t understand why the pedophilia comes in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why is it children who priests are assaulting? I really don’t get it. People say that it’s because the Catholic Church does not accept gay people, but in that case why wouldn’t it be priests having sex with other priests?
I don’t understand why the pedophilia comes in.

It's a good question. It could be a power issue. For a long time, being a priest had power. You were the one who judged people, held their confessions and secrets, you went to people's homes and told them what God wanted and how to fix their lives according to that. Children are powerless.

For another, probably access. Altar boys are right there.

Also, there probably was sex among priests. Possibly consensual though due to age, so no reporting. And if rape happened, I'm sure reporting there was scarce if any. Especially if the victim priest remained in the church.

[Anonymous]

Pedohhiles can be found wherever children are. Especially in fields where parents place a lot of trust and little supervision: the church, schools, daycares, sports, etc. The Church doesn't make a priest a pedophile. The pedophile becomes a priest to have an ongoing supply of victims.

[Anonymous]

I don't think it has anything to do with the Church not accepting gay priests. I think it's more that for people who have certain sexual urges that they know they shouldn't act on, there may be some appeal to joining the priesthood because they think it will somehow bring them to a higher level of spirituality where they will stop feeling those urges, and because if they are priests, no one will question why they're not engaged in "normal" sexual relations. So while the Church isn't causing priests to abuse children, it's long been a place where men who feel the urge to do so might go as a perceived safe haven.

[Anonymous]

Mainly for the same reasons pedophiles are often teachers or coaches; it's where the kids are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it has anything to do with the Church not accepting gay priests. I think it's more that for people who have certain sexual urges that they know they shouldn't act on, there may be some appeal to joining the priesthood because they think it will somehow bring them to a higher level of spirituality where they will stop feeling those urges, and because if they are priests, no one will question why they're not engaged in "normal" sexual relations. So while the Church isn't causing priests to abuse children, it's long been a place where men who feel the urge to do so might go as a perceived safe haven.

This is a good point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it has anything to do with the Church not accepting gay priests. I think it's more that for people who have certain sexual urges that they know they shouldn't act on, there may be some appeal to joining the priesthood because they think it will somehow bring them to a higher level of spirituality where they will stop feeling those urges, and because if they are priests, no one will question why they're not engaged in "normal" sexual relations. So while the Church isn't causing priests to abuse children, it's long been a place where men who feel the urge to do so might go as a perceived safe haven.

This is a good point.

Agree. Good point, but also discouraging because then would you stop it?
And why wouldn’t it be such an issue for other religious with minister rabbi, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it has anything to do with the Church not accepting gay priests. I think it's more that for people who have certain sexual urges that they know they shouldn't act on, there may be some appeal to joining the priesthood because they think it will somehow bring them to a higher level of spirituality where they will stop feeling those urges, and because if they are priests, no one will question why they're not engaged in "normal" sexual relations. So while the Church isn't causing priests to abuse children, it's long been a place where men who feel the urge to do so might go as a perceived safe haven.

This is a good point.

Agree. Good point, but also discouraging because then would you stop it?
And why wouldn’t it be such an issue for other religious with minister rabbi, etc

Rabbis and many/most ministers are allowed to marry and engage in sexual relations. Someone who's trying to hide/suppress something like pedophilia and who doesn't feel sexual desire toward women isn't going to be as drawn to those positions because people will still speculate why they're not getting married, having kids, etc. When you're a priest, society expects you not to have any sexual activity or desire at all, so no one will question why you're not engaging.

[Anonymous]

Because children are naive and are easily manipulated.

[Anonymous]

Therefore -

We need to abolish priesthood celibacy, so that healthy people can become priests and dilute the number of perverts in the Church - those priests will likely not look the other way if they see signs of abuse, because they will be married and have kids themselves.

There have been periods in history when Christian priests could marry, so it's not an impossible goal.

[Anonymous]

Power.

Lack of accountability.

If you have power without accountability, people will abuse weaker individuals. It’s a given.

[Anonymous]

IT's all they have access to. Kids don't fight back or speak up as often as adults do.

[Anonymous]

Most of the cases with priests as the abuser involve teenage boys, not children, so technically it is not pedophilia. Still very, very wrong, obviously, but not pedophilia.

Lots of the posts above hit on the possible reasons children are victims. Unfortunately, this happens in any field where disturbed people have access to teens and children. You just don’t hear as much about the many individuals who have committed these crimes over the years because most don’t belong to an organization with deep pockets like the Catholic Church. Sadly, many people knew about these crimes in many facets of society in decades past, but people just turned away because they didn’t want to deal with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it has anything to do with the Church not accepting gay priests. I think it's more that for people who have certain sexual urges that they know they shouldn't act on, there may be some appeal to joining the priesthood because they think it will somehow bring them to a higher level of spirituality where they will stop feeling those urges, and because if they are priests, no one will question why they're not engaged in "normal" sexual relations. So while the Church isn't causing priests to abuse children, it's long been a place where men who feel the urge to do so might go as a perceived safe haven.

This is a good point.

Also applies to gay priests

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't think it has anything to do with the Church not accepting gay priests. I think it's more that for people who have certain sexual urges that they know they shouldn't act on, there may be some appeal to joining the priesthood because they think it will somehow bring them to a higher level of spirituality where they will stop feeling those urges, and because if they are priests, no one will question why they're not engaged in "normal" sexual relations. So while the Church isn't causing priests to abuse children, it's long been a place where men who feel the urge to do so might go as a perceived safe haven.

This is a good point.

Agree. Good point, but also discouraging because then would you stop it?
And why wouldn’t it be such an issue for other religious with minister rabbi, etc

Because there’s less 1-1 time and no expectation of celibacy to cover up a lack of “normal” relationships.