colin wrote: > > i am perplexed as to why you brought up the 'priests should be allowed to marry' > thing. (of course they should be) Having married preists will not stop child > abuse. Peodophilia is not something one does for lack of an adult to do it > with.(I am sure you know that hence me being perplexed).
Yes, I do know that. My thought is that if marriage (i.e., an intimate sexual relationship, including same-sex relationships) was part of Church leaders lives, then all aspects of sex would be more open, and the abuse could not have been hidden for so long. The Church leaders can't even accept and talk about the healthy adult aspects of sex, so it's no surprise they couldn't deal with the abusive behaviors either. They are forced, finally and too late, to deal with it now. Plus, if priests were allowed to be in "real" relationships, they would no longer be seen as odd creatures who are supposedly above the desires of human life, and people in the pews would no longer automatically assume that whatever Father says goes. (I don't understand why people ever follow blindly, but unfortunately many do.) Also, as Mary mentioned, if marriage was allowed, theoretically more men would be willing to become priests so the emotionally and sexually immature ones, the men most likely to become abusers, would not be accepted for training. All of that is why I brought up the idea of married priests as something that needs to be discussed and, without knowing the extent of the horrors going on, has been discussed for a long time by parishioners and some priests too. The pope and his appointed bishops have not been willing to be part of the discussion. Debra Shea
