Vatican to Evaluate American Seminaries

[emad]

By RACHEL ZOLL
The Associated Press

-- A Vatican evaluation of American seminaries planned three years ago in response to the clergy sex abuse crisis is expected to move forward under new Pope Benedict XVI and will likely tackle the polarizing issue of whether gays should become priests.

The appraisal will focus on conditions in the seminaries, including how instructors present church teaching on sexuality and celibacy, to look for anything that contributed to the scandal.


In this photo made available by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI meets with Chilean Cardinal Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa, second left, and First Deputy President of the Latin American Episcopal Conference Mons. Carlos Aguiar Retes of Mexico, Second Deputy President Mons. Geraldo Lyrio Rocha from Brazil, and General Secretary Mons. Andres Stanovnik of Argentina, (from left to right) in the Paul VI study at the Vatican, Thursday, April 28, 2005. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano) (AP)

Church officials conducting the review will inevitably take up complaints that gays are enrolling in large numbers in the seminaries and their sexual activity is tolerated at the schools, experts on Catholicism said. Some Catholics contend an atmosphere of sexual permissiveness _ for straight and gay seminarians _ was a factor in the crisis, which has led to more than 11,000 abuse claims in the last five decades.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/30/AR2005043000891.html

[Demit]

1. So they conflate pedophilia with being gay

I don't even know whether or not all pedophiles who prey on young boys are gay--I suspect not--but this focus seems to presume that all gays are, or could become, pedophiles. Anything to avoid the issue of how unreal an expectation celibacy is. RCC could be said to stand for Roman Catholic Clueless.

[CatholicEdHead]

2. Yep

the ultra-traditionalists blame all the sex scandles just on homosexual priests. That nothing else is at fault (e.g. mandatory celibacy).

They feel that this huge influx of gays was caused by the heritcal liberals.

There is a real idological purist movement with force in the church that currently has the reigns of power.

[donsu]

3. smirk's man pope ratty wants to make sure all amer. priest are toeing

the line in pushing the criminal bushgang's agenda.

Ratty could care less about his pedophile priests and their doings.

[FloridaPat]

4. What difference does it make if they're gay or not? No sex is no sex.

And yes, the above author is correct - gay doesn't equal pedophile. People going after young girls are pedophiles too. The priest just like young boys - maybe because of their easy access.