Sexual Abuse by Clergy... Again
The late psychologist Joseph Nicolosi once said “…there is no such thing as a homosexual, but only heterosexuals that have a homosexual problem.” It is in this sense that the word “homosexual” is used here.
Lately, the scandal of sexual abuse by clergy is once again in the news. The news media usually portrays this as child abuse, or “pedophilia,”, but this is not accurate. The vast majority of victims are post-pubescent males. An article in the May 2005 issue of the Homiletic and Pastoral Review titled “Child Molestation by Homosexuals and Heterosexuals” reported that 85.3% of the 11-17 year old victims were males. This is a homosexual problem.
The Church has long recognized the damage that can be done by clergy and religious with same-sex attraction and sought to prevent them from entering religious life. The Congregation for Catholic Education’s 2005 instruction “Concerning the Criteria for the Discernment of Vocations With Regard to Persons With Homosexual Tendencies in View of Their Admission to the Seminary and to Holy Orders” said “One must in no way overlook the negative consequences that can derive from the ordination of persons with deep-seated homosexual tendencies.” The 2016 edition of the Congregation for Clergy’s ratio on priestly formation says “the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question, cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practice homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies, or support the so-called ‘gay culture.’” In a speech to Italian bishops in May of this year, Pope Francis reaffirmed this instruction: “if you have even the slightest doubt, it’s better not to let them enter.”
Sexual misbehavior by priests and religious has many victims: First and most grievously, those abused; then there are the many holy priests and religious who are not trusted or respected as they should be because of the wicked deeds of their confreres; there are the laity, whose contributions do not go for their intended purpose, but to compensate victims; the faith of some of the laity is shaken to the point that they leave the Church; the authority of the Church to proclaim moral truth is much diminished while its own house appears in such disorder, and finally there are those who might enter the Church, but do not because they are so repulsed by these scandals.
There are many reasons for the abundance of sexual abuse cases in the last 50 years: There is the continuing heresy of Modernism from the late 1800’s, which Fr. John Hardon described as “basing ones faith on one’s own inner mind and feelings rather than conforming the mind to God and His objective truth.” Then Stalin, beginning in the 1920’s, sought to corrupt the Church by getting men “without faith or morals” into the seminaries. One such communist, Bella Dodd (1904-1969), who later reverted to the Catholic faith, said that in the 1930’s, she had placed 1100 communists in Catholic seminaries in the United States. Obviously this would appeal to men with homosexual tendencies.
By the time of Vatican II (1962-65), some of these Modernist or communist clerics and their progeny had moved into the Church hierarchy and were recommending like-minded priests for appointment as bishops. These bishops in turn appointed like-minded rectors to their seminaries who often kept out highly qualified candidates because they were “too rigid.” This sordid tale is covered in greater detail in books such as The Homosexual Network (1982), by Fr. Enrique Rueda, Amchurch Comes Out (2002) by Paul Likoudis, and Goodbye, Good Men (2002) by Michael Rose.
What can we, the laity, do? Archbishop Fulton Sheen told us in 1972: “Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops and religious. It is up to you, the people (LAITY). You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act as priests, your bishops like bishops, and your religious act like religious.” We have to make our concerns known and insist that the hierarchy is cleansed of these priests, bishops and cardinals! Alice Von Hildebrand recommends “…penance, prayer, sacrifice, trust in God, and yes, fighting! Strive for holiness. Pray and beg God for good popes, cardinals and bishops.”
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