THE CATHOLIC CRISIS

Sexual abuse committed by catholic clergy at virtually all levels upon innocent children and young seminarians over the past half century has dragged the church into a damaging crisis. Church leaders have proven to be incapable of resolving this problem. Failure to resolve this terrible problem has lead, or at least seriously contributed, to millions of the faithful walking away from their churches - many of which have closed their doors for lack of support, and the burdensome cash settlements to thousands of the victims of predatory priests and bishops.

Latest estimates say that there are 40, 500 catholic priests in America. It is also estimated that between 15 to 52% of these clerics are homosexual. (Wikipedia) Now that may or may not alarm you, but when you consider the fact that only 4% of the American population is homosexual, that is a pretty overwhelming population of the occupants of our rectories. You might ask; what has this got to do with our sexual abuse crisis? In the balance of this essay I will try to justify my sense that the dense population of homosexual clergy are at the very root of the problem.

We were all taught very early on that our priests are holy men and deserving of all of the respect and dignity of a “man of God.” These men in black suits with roman collars are a symbol of our church and respected by everybody in our neighborhoods, Catholics and non-Catholic’s alike.  We call them “Father.” Many of our mothers dream of the possibility that one of their sons will grow up to have a call to the vocation of the priesthood. We go to the confessional and bare our souls to them. We depend upon their hands to deliver the Holy Sacraments, The body and blood of Christ, they baptize our children. We seek out their guidance in troubled times. We trust them. These are very special people. They are the walking around representatives of Jesus Christ. Much is asked and much is expected of these men of God.

These men are no slouches. It is not easy to become a priest. A four year degree in Philosophy, and 4-5 years in Graduate School, and Seminary earning a Master of Divinity Degree. This is a long and difficult process during which candidates for the priesthood are shaped and molded every day of their lives with the goal of the Holy Sacrament of Ordination. Every man is keenly aware of the requirements of Canon Law that dictates the obligations and functions of a priest. They are fully aware of their required vows of obedience and celibacy which will govern the balance of their lives as a priest. During those 8-10 years these adult men have ample opportunity to decide if this is the way they want to dedicate their lives to Jesus Christ and his followers.

There is no doubt in my mind that each of these men has a keen understanding of their sexual preferences. History of seminary life has proven that at some point they will be tested by a homosexual priest or fellow seminarian. Read “Goodbye, Good Men” to learn why so many young men have abandoned the seminary to escape predatory homosexual men. It is an obvious matter of fact that many men have proceeded to their ordination, fully knowing that their same-sex preference, at the very minimum, will eventually and adversely negatively impact their lives as a priest. In effect they are FRAUDS. Their homosexual persuasion fly’s in the face of their sacred vows to strictly adhere to Canon Law.

Code of Canons Chapter III:

Can. 277 1. Clerics are obliged to observe perfect and perpetual continence for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven and therefore are bound to celibacy.

2. Clerics are to behave with due prudence towards persons whose company they keep that can endanger their obligations to observe contenance or give rise to the observance of their obligations.

Among all of the Canons, and there are many that our priests vow to observe, these two are the most germane to our subject:

Continence refers to self-restraint, especially in regard to sexual activity temperance and moderation.

Celibacy refers to remaining unmarried.

These two Canons, although controversial in some circles, are clear and unambiguous.

In all of our lives and work we must comply with law. As children we must obey our parents and teachers. At work we must comply with established rules and regulations of our employer, and law governing the operation of businesses. We are also taught and learn by example to follow and adhere to the social mores of society. Failure to comply has consequences, anywhere from “go to your room,” “you’re fired,” or you are “guilty as charged” and go to jail.

There are many “oaths” and/or vows that most of us take at one time or another, whether it is jury duty; entering the military; or getting married. The question here is; how seriously do you take your pledge to uphold the law, to tell the truth or join in Holy Matrimony? There can be very serious consequences if you fail to keep your promises. Few, if any vows are as important or weigh as heavily as the vows seminarians take at the time of their ordination. Unlike any other vow, these men have dedicated a decade or more in preparation for this magnificent moment. This is clearly the most pivotal moment of their lives.

The decision to take that final step into the life of the priesthood must and should be made with no reservations. There must be no doubt that you can, with the help of God, spend the rest of your life as a spokesman for Jesus Christ and to administer the Sacraments that He created, and to uphold Canons Law.

In recent years the church has modified its views on homosexuality. Essentially the church is saying that it is ok to be homosexual so long as you abstain from sexual activity. That is the same rule for heterosexual people. In short, sex outside of marriage is a sin. I get that. The church is trying to be politically correct in the era of inclusiveness. This edict does not seem, in my opinion, to address homosexuality in the priesthood. The bar is set much higher for the clergy, and it flies in the face of Canon Law.

Let me pose this question: How do we come to know that one priest or another is homosexual? How does the subject surface? Generally speaking most folks do not go about flaunting their sexual preferences. Or do they? When we meet a traditional married man we assume that he is heterosexual because of his marital status, a reasonable assumption. On the other hand, in polite society when we meet a single man or a priest we do not ask him about their sexual preferences. As it says in Holy Scripture, we will be judged by our deeds. Rightly or wrongly mortals judge their fellow men essentially by what they say and do, and how they do it. Unfortunately we come to know that a priest is homosexual by his words and deeds. Usually it is not good news. The damage has been done.

Some say that a “gay” priest is ok so long as he abstains from sex. I’m not buying that. For some reason that I do not understand, homosexual men historically are extremely promiscuous. Don’t take my word for it, check it out. Much has been written. Homosexual men are widely known to have had as many as hundreds of sexual partners, whereas heterosexual men may have 8-10 sexual partners in their lifetime. This leads me to believe that achieving sexual gratification weighs more heavily on the minds of homosexual men. To me that sounds like a bad habit, an obsession, a controlling factor, and a distraction in our day-to-day comings and goings. A dominant factor!

There are those who claim that pedophilia has nothing to do with homosexuality and vice versa. That may be, but the record speaks for itself. Something like 98% of the victims of sexual abuse by clergy are young boys. That is a male-on-male homosexual act. Since most of the victims are 16 or under that makes the homosexual perpetrator a pedophile.

Why do you suppose most of the victims are youngsters? Simple answer, they are easy targets, “low hanging fruit” They trust their priests. Their parents trust the priests. In seminary life older priests are in very powerful positions. Many have abused their high office to lure young men into their bedrooms. Tough to swallow, but true.

In life we come to know the “bad actors” in our world mostly by what they do. This is especially true in the priesthood where clergy live and work together in a very close relationship. They call it collegiality. These men get to know one another the same as you get to know your close friends, family, classmates, work mates etc. In a diocese everybody knows everybody. Priests, as the saying goes, “know where all the bodies are buried.” If there is a homosexual priest among them, chances are very high that they will know about it. Given that situation, and since the hierarchy has not effectively dealt with the predatory priest problem, I believe that it is incumbent upon priests themselves at the parish level to do something.

It is way above my pay grade to spell out what actions priests may take to address this problem. As I have said before, these men are no slouches. They will figure it out, each in his own way. In the final analysis it comes down to decisions and choices. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. The late comedian Flip Wilson playing the Character “Geraldine” used to say: “The Devil made me do it.” That line always got a lot of laughs, but we all knew who the guilty party really was.

Let us pray: Dear Jesus, as you drove the money changers out of the Temple, please give our holy and faithful priests the faculty to find a way and means of cleansing our churches, rectories and seminaries of those who harm our children and seek to destroy your Holy Church.

Amen