Catholic League president Donohue: Priests aren’t pedophiles, molesting children is ‘what gays do’

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Catholic League president: Priests aren’t pedophiles, molesting children is ‘what gays do’

By Stephen C. Webster
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 -- 11:35 pm



http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0406/catholic-league-president-classifies-priests-raping-children-homosexuality/

In another coup for the seemingly part-time political pundit Bill Donohue, CNN broadcast on Tuesday a conversation about the Catholic church's thousands of pedophilia scandals that would be awkward to even over-hear in public, let alone broadcast nation-wide.

That's because Donohue, who presides over the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, decided to take the matter of a 14-year-old's sexual abuse to a level of technicality where none of his fellow contributors really cared to tread.

Objecting to the term "pedophilia" being used to describe the rampant claims of children being sexually abused by priests and nuns, Donohue instead called the acts "homosexuality," later suggesting "that's what gays do."

Though repeatedly cited in the media as the Catholic Church's "pedophilia" problem, Donohue instead prefers a longer term, according to his editorial published by CNN on March 19: "the sexual molestation of minors."

And, actually, the two terms are not mutually exclusive, explains the psychology department at UC Davis, noting that "pedophilia" as used to describe the church's scandals "can cause confusion."

"Whereas pedophilia and hebephilia refer to psychological propensities, child molestation and child sexual abuse are used to describe actual sexual contact between an adult and someone who has not reached the legal age of consent," they explain. "In this context, the latter individual is referred to as a child, even though he or she may be a teenager."

What Donohue is saying is that the priests who carried out such horrendous offenses against children did not have a psychological fixation on children: they were simply attracted to people of the same sex, and that's just what homosexuals do. His own bar for limiting use of the term "pedophilia," according to his CNN interview, is, "I dunno, 12, 13 years of age?"

[eShirl]

1. What a disgusting bigot. n/t

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Stunned silence here.

:wow: :wow: :wow:

One of the best cases of intact denial I have ever seen.

[myrna minx]

3. Oh my god. What a horrible man.

:puke:

[Klukie]

4. They are child molestors....

plain and simple.

[MineralMan]

5. And isn't this Donohue guy

a slimy shit?

[Dappleganger]

28. He makes my skin crawl. nt

[Deep13]

6. Thou shalt naught bear false witness against thy neighbor. nt

[Leftist Agitator]

7. I guarantee you that this fat fuck has raped children.

I guaran-fucking-tee it.

[Deep13]

9. Is it because he's defending those who have?

While an evil bastard, I don't see how you can guarantee that unless he did it to you.

You may be right. It may be that he is a self-inflicted idiot and refuses to see the truth. It may be that he is simply dishonest and is capitalizing on this for his own purposes.

[Rebubula]

20. Wow...

...what an ignorant statement.

[CurtEastPoint]

8. TELL HIM: Contact him here...

http://www.catholicleague.org/feedback.php

[Odin2005]

10. What a bigoted assclown!

:grr:

[YOY]

11. The Catholic League is not a official representation of the Catholic Church.

Not defending the Church on this matter...the goings on are despicable enough.

Just saying that this guy and the shitstains he commits with are not in the hierarchy. They are a collection of stupid right wing tools of the greatest degree who do not realize that their contemporaries in the Evangelical and Baptist coalition of right-wing theocrats despise them.

[Bluenorthwest]

12. Well the rank and file apologists here always say that we

should not see the hierarchy as representative of the Chruch, and we should look to other Catholics instead. So basically what you suggest now is that anyone bad is not a true Scotsman.
I'm waiting for another 'progressive parable' as to why people stand with this jerk instead of their neighbors whom he attacks.
You can not have your host and eat it too. If not the hierarchy, and not the rank and file, and not the groups funded by the rank and file are there any guilty parties as you see it?

[YOY]

18. I'm no apologist and I don't consider myself Catholic anymore.

They're Catholic alright...and they may even have "men of the cloth" (and I use that term with disgust for those individuals).

None, the less they are not part of the hierarchy. Neither are the Knights of Columbus.

Catholic Charities are...so are a few other less savory groups.

I neither stand with the church's ancient denial nor this collection of fools competing with the Southern Baptists for the coveted "Most Backward Hypocritical Religious Fools" award.

As for a progressive counteraction to them...I did what I could do. I left the church. I don't have a say anymore. If you want action from Progressive Catholics who are active in the church ask them.

[Toasterlad]

21. Truly! "The Church Is Not the Vatican!" "The Catholic League Is Not the Chuch!"

Whole lot of time spent by catholics arguing about who the REAL catholics are. I can tell you who the real catholics are: the ones donating money used to fight lawsuits and fund anti-gay and anti-abortion initiatives. Which is ALL of them.

[YOY]

24. But Toasterlad...by the same definition we are all supporting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We all pay taxes. So we all support the unnecessary wars? And the war on drugs? And NCLB? And DADT? Of course Tithing is "optional" and taxation is not...one more reason why I didn't give shit when I actually gave a shit about what the Catholic Church thought. I wouldn't piss on them to put out a fire these days.

Really, the Catholic League is a club of Catholic extremists who push to get their extremist views legitimized. The silence from the Actual church is appalling when it comes to the Catholic League. If you want an actual priest's opinion ask him. He may find their views appalling, keep disgustingly silent, or in worst case parrot them. I've known men of the cloth. Two of which were quite obviously gay (both Franciscan monks). Nobody was trying to oust them that I knew of. Bet they would have interesting takes that you and I would find hypocritical at worst and at best realize that there is good mixed in there with all that evil.

The Catholic League is not the Church. It has church members and uses it's name. They probably all tithe like loons. The Vatican is part of the church hierarchy though...nobody denying that. dunno where you got that from.

Personally, not part of the church anymore...don't want to give them a dime nor a moment of time. I'm not apologizing for their actions (or inactions in this case). Just pointing out that truly, the Catholic League is not part of the church hierarchy. It really is not.

[Toasterlad]

27. Definitely Not Having This Tired and Pointless Argument With You.

If you need to know the difference between being a member of a cult and being a member of a nation, please refer to my posts in the Religion/Theology group.

[YOY]

29. You seem to think I'm defending/apologizing for them them though.

I'm not. Frankly, I wouldn't.

I'm pointing out facts. They are not part of the Church. One is a rotten apple and the other is the worm shit that came from that apple to use a possibly flawed analogy.

Please don't argue in a hostile manner with folks who agree with you mostly and respect your opinion. I do.

[Toasterlad]

34. Not Hostile At All. Just Pointing Out That Your Argument Was Tired and Pointless

There is a world of difference between being a member of the catholic church, and being a citizen of the United States.

And the catholic league IS part of the church, in that they are all practicing catholics. Their opinion should be given exactly as much weight as any other catholic who claims to be a "true" catholic.

[YOY]

35. Aside from my poor analogy. I think you have it partially wrong.

The Catholic League is not part of the Church but the Church is part of the Catholic league.

Does the Catholic League have power over the church? Probably not much.

Does the Church have power over the Catholic League? Definitely if they had the balls to condemn them they could. Their refusal to do so is disturbing.

[Toasterlad]

41. If That's the Case, Then NO Catholics Are Part Of the Church.

NO catholic who's not a bishop or higher has any power whatsoever in the catholic church. So, either ALL catholics are part of the church, or none of them are. Frankly, it makes no difference to me, except when these so called "real" catholics start talking about how Vatican City doesn't represent them...which proves that they don't understand what being a catholic IS. So, they're right, but for the wrong reasons. Vatican City doesn't represent them, because they're not truly catholic.

[YOY]

43. You're right...poor wording on my part.

I suppose it might be better to say "play a controling role in the heirarchy" than "be part of".

All Catholics pick and choose so who am I, you, or anyone else to say whatever a "real Catholic" is? I suppose the Vatican would but they seldom hand out excommunication papers these days. I'd get mine framed if I ever got them...

As for those who choose to follow certain things and ignore others, usually the right calls them "cafeteria Catholics"...yet even as they cheer for war...

The locksteppers are a curious lot. Knew some in Catholic HS. Stuck together in a creepy little clique. I did not go to a dickish Catholic school with many of the nastiness I have heard of in others. I've seen kids who stuck up for other kids you'd think a parochial school woudln't. The locksteppers were creepy...and judgemental of all others.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

14. Where is the strong disavowal of this organization by the Church then?

In normal circumstances, aren't institutions rather wary of unauthorized appropriation of their names?

Wouldn't Skinner+Elad+EarlG throw a hissy fit if some teabagger terrorist group called themselves "Democratic Underground"?

[YOY]

19. Ask the Church...I wonder the same myself.

They probably don't want to cut off constant tithers...no matter how vulgar.

[truebrit71]

13. This guy is a grade-a tool..and the reason his volume of sqwuaking is increasing..

..is because he too can see the writing on the wall...his paymasters, the woman-hating cult of child-molesters, is on the brink of the abyss..and not a millenia too soon..

[progressoid]

15. wow

just wow

[piratefish08]

16. it makes me wish there were really a hell for all these pedophiles and their defenders to rot in....

[chemenger]

17. Assholes like Bill Donohue need to get a REAL job.

:grr:

[joeybee12]

22. The Catholic League is a hate group...

...not that we didn't know this before.

[NNN0LHI]

23. Yep, they have exposed themselves for what they are very clearly this time

They used to be more careful than that.

Don

[YOY]

26. Yup.

n.t.

[Sebastian Doyle]

25. Even Jesus hates that fucking bigoted piece of lying shit.

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/104422/?searchterm=Fantastic+Easter+Special

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

30. Blame the media for giving this asshole a forum

He has as much business on TV or radio as a Klan leader.

[bridgit]

31. Donohue is cracking apart trying to rationalize the twisted perversion he speaks for

[HughBeaumont]

32. You can just SMELL the tact.

We should be allowed to throw Helms-ish asssucks like this in a hole and bury them under 12 feet of concrete and elephant shit when they die. You know, as a symbolic gesture that we're moving PAST attitudes like this. Because really, they deserve it. And we're never going to progress as a society as long as we have these bitter, paranoid, bigoted fossils passing down hatred from generation to generation.

[Initech]

33. What a disgusting POS.

[Tailormyst]

36. I hope to never find myself in the same room with that man.

For his sake.

[Rex]

37. OMG, homosexuals do not rape children! WTF is wrong with Donohue?

Can he possibly say anything more inflammatory? I think he is just throwing dirt in peoples face and knows it. The Church evidently endorses raping children, guess Hell sounded good to the leaders.

[Robbie88]

38. Fuck you, Bill. n/t

[Echo In Light]

39. Charming, refreshing perspective. I'm now enlightened ...

[walldude]

40. This asshole is all over the TV

and interviewers treat him like he's not some kind of ghoul. He said this on Larry King and while they kind of snickered at him, they certainly didn't call him on it. I'm getting tired of the media porttraying these people has actually having some kind of legitimate defense of this. Lucky for them it's working. I see tons of stories about how the poor church is being vilified probably 3 times the amount of stories I see abut what actually happened.

[Viking12]

42. So when a 40 year old man rapes a 5 year old girl, that's what heterosexuals do?

[sakabatou]

44. Fuck you and the horse you ride on, Bill!