http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/m ... se-victims

He's going to have to back all that up with action. And the celibacy thing wouldn't be a bad start, to show intent of purpose.

I really like this new pope, he would nearly manage to convince me to rejoin, were I not terrible at it

Well, he seems to be a bite better than the last one, but he’s got to go long way to close the door on this problem. Handing details over to the relevant authorities might be a good start.

Maybe if the priests were allowed to have families, they wouldn't seek any available target (ie children) to release their unnaturally pent up twisted urges.

While I think the absence of intimate companionship (shall we say) may be a factor worth looking into, it's plainly not a causal relationship. There are plenty of people who are celibate who don't abuse, and there are sadly plenty of people in relationships who are abusers.

Personally, I'd say that the catholic church should at least be evaluating candidates for priesthood to see if there are parts of their psychological makeup that would be counter to the requirements of religious life. if living as a priest - whatever the specifics thereof - might cause someone psychological damage and might lead them to what the trade refers to as 'abberant behaviour', surely you want to find that out before, not by the hard way after..

There are plenty of people who choose to be celibate, however priests are because it's a rule they have to follow, not because they want to be.
I'm not saying it's the be all and end all, but I'll bet it's a factor in more than a few cases.

Well, you assume they choose to be priests and it's not as if it's a new rule or anything. They knew the contract when they took the job...


It's certainly something worth looking into - the simple test would be to see if the stats are any different for Anglican priests, who aren't required to be celibate. Is abuse less common there, or is it just a case that as the church is smaller, it's not been quite the same level of scandal?

True, but if you gave them the choice, many would be priests and not be celibate.

The situation in general affects the priesthood numbers greatly too

http://www.associationofcatholicpriests ... riesthood/

IIRC, Africa is the only place not experiencing a serious decline in applications. Basically, you're considered a weirdo for one reason or another, all for an ever-decreasing flock.

Fails to mention the possibility that people don't what to be (wrongly) tarred as kiddy fiddlers just because they've got a certain job.