independent.ie
Wednesday October 27 2010
By John Cooney Religion Correspondent
THE Catholic Church authorities need to distinguish between a paedophile priest and the cleric who committed “a minor indiscretion” with a teenager 30 or more years ago, it was claimed yesterday.
At a private meeting in Claremorris, Co Mayo, yesterday, the new Association of Catholic Priests challenged the policy of Irish bishops requiring a priest to automatically step aside from office if a child abuse complaint or suspicion is lodged against the cleric.
They passed a resolution which throws down the gauntlet to the Irish Conference of Bishops and the Vatican.
Spokesman Father Tony Flannery, an outspoken Redemptorist priest, said many priests who attended the regional meeting expressed sympathy with colleagues who had been excluded from ministry even though their behaviour since the alleged complaint had been blameless.
The 45 priests spent a lot of the time debating how bishops and religious superiors handled allegations of child abuse levelled against colleagues. Last night Fr Flannery said there was a strong feeling that a distinction needed to be made between the paedophile and the man who had behaved inappropriately towards a teenager three decades ago.
He told the Irish Independent that the sexual advance by a priest on a child was damaging for the child, but he insisted that a distinction had to be made between the serial paedophile priest and the immature young cleric knowing nothing about sexuality who made a mistake.
– John Cooney Religion Correspondent
Irish Independent
Excuse me? How old is an immature young cleric? Last time I checked they were not ordaining anyone who was not an adult. Is the abuse any less damaging when it’s only against one child? Come off it. This is extremely insulting. A child is a person under the age of 18. I think that they need to speak to someone who was abused 30 or more years ago and see how relevant something that happened that long ago is to them now.
Oh please! All in one breath, ‘we are cellibate, but if we sexually victimize a child it’s because we are immature and know nothing about sexuality.’ This reiforces my belief that most men who enter the priesthood are sexually repressed sexual deviants. Only adults are ordained and just how does an adult know ‘nothing’ about sexuality? What sterile bubble were they raised in that they were not taught or they did not seek out sexual information and education through NORMAL curiousity? Are these the freaks we want ordained? Are these the people we want to talk to about our problems, some of which may be sexual problems? I’m a practicing Catholic and if I have a sexual issue I want to discuss a Catholic priest would be the last person on Earth I would go to if I need to speak to someone. There is a much better chance of finding a minister who is sexually ‘normal’ than a priest!
MANY a clergy are immature sexual beings.
Priests that did criminal acts against children & vulnerable youth should be brought to justice. These priests need to be held accountable for their (those) evil crimes. Those who knew about it & did nothing for whatever reason should be accountable for their inaction’s.
Shame on all those adults who delay justice for the victims!