The New Faith
Plagued by sex scandals and shrouded in secrecy, can the Catholic Church Survive?
Ben Harley
Issue date: 1/19/10 Section: Opinion
In November of 2009, the Catholic Church of Ireland was disgraced after a government investigation found that it had been involved in child abuse scandals for over the last four decades. The Murphy Report not only detailed the abuses inflicted, but also cited an organized cover up by church officials.
According to the BBC, four of the five bishops named in the report stepped down from their post. The fifth bishop has refused to resign, though there is a massive public outcry for him to do so.
This is a terrible and disgusting stain upon the church. This stain is made even more deplorable by appearing to be so common. It seems that ever since the new millennium, abuse cases have been rampant in the Catholic Church.
One of the main reasons for all of the legal cases might be the Catholic Church's combination of wealth and its governing structure, according to Father David Turner, a Benedictine philosophy professor.
"I have a friend who is a Protestant Minister, and he said that the amount of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy is miniscule compared to Protestants," said Turner, "but no one goes after the Protestants. They don't have deep money pockets."
The answer to this problem may be found in the seminaries. According to Benedictine religious studies professor Dr. Christine Fletcher, we need to be discussing sexuality openly in seminaries.
Celibacy is not to be taken lightly, and the only people who can withstand the pressures are those who are grounded in their sexuality and are not afraid of it. I believe we need seminary graduates who have mastered themselves so much that they can give-up sex.
Christians, in general, believe that sexuality is a gift from God, but it is not the only gift given to us. Before they graduate seminary, we must make sure that the men about to lead the church understand the great struggle that celibacy will be for them.
It's my opinion that a well-rounded and responsible understanding of human sexuality may greatly diminish the want for an adult to engage in such deplorable behavior.
According to the BBC, four of the five bishops named in the report stepped down from their post. The fifth bishop has refused to resign, though there is a massive public outcry for him to do so.
This is a terrible and disgusting stain upon the church. This stain is made even more deplorable by appearing to be so common. It seems that ever since the new millennium, abuse cases have been rampant in the Catholic Church.
One of the main reasons for all of the legal cases might be the Catholic Church's combination of wealth and its governing structure, according to Father David Turner, a Benedictine philosophy professor.
"I have a friend who is a Protestant Minister, and he said that the amount of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy is miniscule compared to Protestants," said Turner, "but no one goes after the Protestants. They don't have deep money pockets."
The answer to this problem may be found in the seminaries. According to Benedictine religious studies professor Dr. Christine Fletcher, we need to be discussing sexuality openly in seminaries.
Celibacy is not to be taken lightly, and the only people who can withstand the pressures are those who are grounded in their sexuality and are not afraid of it. I believe we need seminary graduates who have mastered themselves so much that they can give-up sex.
Christians, in general, believe that sexuality is a gift from God, but it is not the only gift given to us. Before they graduate seminary, we must make sure that the men about to lead the church understand the great struggle that celibacy will be for them.
It's my opinion that a well-rounded and responsible understanding of human sexuality may greatly diminish the want for an adult to engage in such deplorable behavior.
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