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crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters
In his eagerness to blame the gay community for the problem of child molestation in the Catholic Church, William Donohue of the Catholic League seems to have forgotten one very important thing about his charges.
The Pope already addressed the situation and said in fact that the problem with abuse has to do with pedophilia and not homosexuality.
It took place two years ago when Pope Benedict XVI was addressing the scandal of the abuse of children in American Catholic churches.
Now let's dismiss (for the extreme briefest of seconds) the sad fact that two years later, we are still talking about the abuse of children in the Catholic Church and take a look at what Pope Benedict XVI said (via The New York Times):
“It is a great suffering for the church in the United States and for the church in general and for me personally that this could happen,” he said. “As I read the histories of those victims, it is difficult for me to understand how it was possible that priests betrayed in this way. Their mission was to give healing, to give the love of God to these children. We are deeply ashamed and we will do what is possible that this cannot happen in the future.”
Apparently drawing a distinction between priests with homosexual tendencies and those inclined to molest children, the pontiff said: “I would not speak at this moment about homosexuality, but pedophilia, which is another thing. And we would absolutely exclude pedophiles from the sacred ministry.”
So why is Donohue trying to push a belief (the priests who molested the children were gay because the crimes were of a “same sex nature,” ergo men who molest boys should automatically be assumed to be gay), which not only has been contradicted by the Pope but also (lest we forget) legitimate bodies such as the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Academy of Child Psychiatrists and the Child Welfare League of America?
If I ever find out the answer to that question, I'm going to next ponder why isn't anyone from the Vatican communicating to Donohue that maybe his input isn't exactly helping and that he should talk a flying leap.
Huge hat tip to Box Turtle Bulletin.
Related post:
Expert: Donohue's claim that most abusive priests are gay is “unwarranted”
6 Comments
*shakes head*I wonder too why Catholic Church hierarchy aren’t requesting he just stifle himself. It is rather disappointing that they don’t.
And again…Why does he ignore the girls who were victims?
He’s saying the things they WANT to saybut can’t because it would make such bad PR. He’s useful to them. When he finally crosses the line and says something even the MSM can’t countenance, you’ll see the bishops distance themselves from him loudly and fast. It’ll be a while, though. Like most conservative “analysts,” Donohue, like Beck, Buchanan and Hannity, he is a master at being just outrageous enough to get attention but not so outrageously ugly he actually becomes offensive to the powers-that-be. The guy’s nuts, no doubt about it, but isn’t that one of the minimum requirements for conservative spokesmen?
Because he’s not interested in girlsIsn’t that obvious?
Well, yes, I know it’s because he doesn’t think girls or women really countBut it’s a question that I think needs asking anyway.
Bill is an embarrassment to thinking CatholicsWe are hardly a monolith of people, there are many different viewpoints, although unfortunately the more conservative groups have money and influence enough to spare. Donohue will continue to bash his critics, and will never say anything breaking from the hierarchy, no matter how many worse revelations are on the way.