John Jay Study Reveals Why Priests Abused Boys

The Roman Catholic Church commissioned a study to find out why some priests sexually abused young boys in their pastoral care. There are so many things that one could say in observation to this. First, I find it fascinating that when it comes to sin, any form of sin, the "church" would have to commission an outside study to figure out why it is happening. Seriously?

But even more jaw-dropping than this is the conclusion the study came to. Here it is...are you ready? I quote:

The study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York instead said that the problem was largely the result of poor seminary training and insufficient emotional support for men ordained in the 1940s and 1950s, who were not able to withstand the social upheaval they confronted as pastors in the 1960's

Ahh..the social upheaval of the 1960's caught the church unprepared to deal with pedophiles and sexual perverts. I had no idea that this was something that only occurred in the 1960's. The Roman Catholic Church, who boasts that she is the only true church on earth, has not experienced anything that would prepare her to deal with this type of thing.

I want to address the notion that clerical celebacy had nothing to do with priests molesting children. I admit that when I was single, I believe child molestation to be a heinous crime, and that my celebacy never, ever led me to think about molesting a child. But this study isn't simply about the fact that singleness does not necessarily lead to pedophilia. It is a statement about how it was handled.

I said that I thought child molestation was heinous when I was single. Now, I am a father of two children. It makes a difference. A man who has children does not need a study to figure out how to deal with a pervert who is preying on children. A father of two does not have to call his superiors and have a hand-wringing session over what to do with with a pervert who is molesting children in his care. A father of two does not need to have "seminary training" to learn how to be careful enough to spot a person who stalks the young. When a pervert is discovered, a father of two does not need a study to determine if this is caused by same-sex attraction or celebacy.

This crime has been perpetrated in all religions, and it has been committed in homes by trusted friends and loved ones. The church ought to have the answer as to why this happens. The church ought to know better. The church is a place of refuge from this wicked world. If the church is having to commission studies on why this is happening, she might as well just start putting on pipe organ shows and bring in the dancing monkeys.

This study is a farce and a shame. I am sorry that it has come to this.