Report: Pope Benedict XVI Considering Ways To Cleanse The Priesthood

Here is the link: Pope Celebrates Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC, Prays for Healing From Church Sex Scandal

Here is the key quote:

A top Vatican official now says the Roman Catholic Church is weighing a further change to clean up the clergy: revising church law so predators could be more easily removed.

"It's possible," said Cardinal William Levada, head of the Vatican office that reviews abuse claims against priests worldwide.

"There are some things under consideration that I'm not able to say," Levada told reporters Friday, in a meeting at Time magazine's offices. A Vatican spokesman stressed Saturday that no immediate changes are planned.

It is the latest signal during Benedict's first papal visit to America that he is intent on purifying the priesthood as he affirms traditional Catholic practices and teaching.

My thoughts: Working to prevent men with homosexual tendencies from receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders or entering religious life would be a great start!

See also: Bill Maher Makes Excuses For Michael Jackson, But Attacks The Catholic Church [Language Warning]

Comments

[Atlanta Catholic]

Cardinal Levada certainly has a "clear understanding" of the corruption in the San Francisco area. He allowed it to flourish.

Cardinal Levada is a close friend to Bishop George Niederauer. How about a cleansing of the homosexual tendencies that allowed the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to mock the Blessed Sacrament, host Bingo and drag queen contests, at Most Holy Redeemer parish? How about not giving the Blessed Sacrament to homosexuals dressed like Catholic nuns to mock the Church? That would be a start.

Bishop Niederauer pleaded for leniency, on behalf of a priest, who was one of the worst molesters who targeted young boys. A good start in the cleansing is for courageous Bishops and Cardinals to start defending the Teachings of the Church by example. How can you cleanse the homosexual problem when Bishops give Holy Communion to drag queens? How can you cleanse the homosexual problems when pro-abortion politicians are comfortable to receive Holy Communion without any regard for babies slaughtered in their mother's womb? Ted Kennedy was given Holy Communion at the Pope's Mass. He remained in his seat because of his girth and mobility. The priest walked down the aisle and gave Our Lord to an avid supporter of abortion and gay rights. This is what needs cleansing!

The cleansing needs to come in the form of new Bishops and Cardinals who have the spiritual backbone to defend the truth. Otherwise, the homosexual problems within the Church will remain.

Before he was the Pope, Cardinal Ratzinger was asked how all of the damage of the past forty years would be fixed. Cardinal Ratzinger responded, "It is going to be the influential personalities who will be saints". Right now the pickings are slim!

[Dan Hunter]

All evidence points to the fact that the sex abuse atrocity is a homosexual problem first, over a pedophilia problem.

Homosexuals must not be allowed in the priesthood.

I was recently told by an academic that there is a much, much greater problem of homosexual abuse within the family structure, than in the consecrated priesthood.
In fact about half of the priests accused of sexual abuse, are actually innocent.

It is a money issue.
The Catholic dioceses have a lot of money and people realize this and go after the false accusation to get the big bucks.

That is why you do not hear much about Baptist and Methodist ministers getting blamed for sexual abuse.
These communities do not have nearly as much money.

God bless you.

[Jimbo]

I am really curious to see how the priests of John Paul's papacy will be. I don't know about other people throughout SoCal, but I have only been shocked/appalled by one or two younger priests this past decade. I have to believe that the batch of priests coming out over the past 20 years under JPII's inspiration is going to be excellent...with the notable exeptions that can't be avoided.

[Curran]

Or allow married men to take up vocations?

[Dan Hunter]

Curran,
If a priest cannot hold to his vow's in the consecrated life, as a married man he will not hold to his vows either.

There are many, many more cases of homosexual pedophilia and hetero pedophilia in the family, married domestic lay state than in the consecrated priesthood

[Bernie]

Working doing personal protection at a major Cathedral and seeing young men who were going into the priesthood act more like girls then men was disappointing and I felt ashamed as a Roman Catholic. Priests do not have to be football players or Marines but, come on where are the men. Priests I know are real men and work hard not only saving souls but, working hard also. Most of these boy's had hands softer then women. And homosexual were welcome in this dioceses. I do not understand what is going on with The Church when I hear that as long as someone who has homosexual thoughts do not act out then it is ok. Hello, HOMOSEXUAL thoughts are wrong and SINFUL - Right or am I wrong.

[Bill Meyer]

I'd like to see the confusion removed from the discussion. The sex scandal was not about pedophilia, which involves pre-pubescent children of both sexes. It was about predatory homosexuals who had been allowed into the priesthood.

If we allow the wrong terms to (continue to) be used, the discussion (and the media) will continue on the wrong images.

[Bill Meyer]

I'd like to see the confusion removed from the discussion. The sex scandal was not about pedophilia, which involves pre-pubescent children of both sexes. It was about predatory homosexuals who had been allowed into the priesthood.

If we allow the wrong terms to (continue to) be used, the discussion (and the media) will continue on the wrong images.

[Bev C]

Bill Meyer and others: The correct term for most of the abuse that has occurred in our Church over the past 40 years is "homosexual ephebophilia". It is the same sex attraction to boys who are just at or past puberty. Thus when you look at gender of the abuse victims, it is overwhelmingly male and the ages of victims plotted on a bell curve show the majority to have been 15 to 17 years of age. It is the lusting after young male flesh that is rampant not only with the homosexual establishment within our Church, but also within the gay communities world wide. Their magazines, porn videos, and organizations such as North American Man-Boy Love (NAMBLA) extol it and pedal it.

[Dawn Lapka]

The sex abuse scandals are not just about homosexual priests hurting little boys. Yes, it is more prevalent, because that is the population available for the hurting. However, the sex abuse scandal is also about priests hurting young ladies and some grown women, and sometimes those who can not protect themselves. I have heard of several reports of priests handling young girls in the wrong way, and several priests having affairs with vulnerable hurting women, and several priests hurting the elderly or the inferm at their bedside. It is an outrage, and very upsetting, to say the least. it just so happens that we hear of the young men far more than we hear of the rest. We must pray for them who have no fear of the Lord.

[Dawn Lapka]

The sex abuse scandals are not just about homosexual priests hurting little boys. Yes, it is more prevalent, because that is the population available for the hurting. However, the sex abuse scandal is also about priests hurting young ladies and some grown women, and sometimes those who can not protect themselves. I have heard of several reports of priests handling young girls in the wrong way, and several priests having affairs with vulnerable hurting women, and several priests hurting the elderly or the inferm at their bedside. It is an outrage, and very upsetting, to say the least. it just so happens that we hear of the young men far more than we hear of the rest. We must pray for them who have no fear of the Lord.

[Don Myers]

As a protestant, I would like to see the problems of the church resolved. I am dismayed at the Catholic Church's unwillingness to address this (homosexuallity) problem, especially when the Scriptures clearly state such behavior is wrong. (Romans 1:27 lays it out pretty clearly, and sexual immorality is addressed in one form or another in most of the epistles, including Peter's: 1 Peter 2:11)

I have to wonder why; is it because the Church is so tied up in tradition that it has forgotten the authority of Scripture? Or is the Church still selling "indulgencies"; that by giving money, serving the priesthood, giving to the poor, etc., the sin of supporting abortions, homosexual behavior, and anything else will be overlooked? Isn't that what caused the Reformation in the first place? Don't get me wrong here; tradition is not nessasarally bad, but when it surplants the bible, it DOES border on herasy. I would love to see the Church return to it's former glory, and if Benidict has to break out a can of "woop ass" to do, so be it!

[Jimbo]

Don,

"Tradition" as you say includes the scriptures. Where else did you learn to accept Scripture as holy? Our forefathers.

The only "indulgence" problem in this scandal has been "indulging" the lies and propaganda of social progressives about homosexuality. Ask the Scouts.

[joanne]

Dawn, I agree, and I think most people would, that the sexual abuse problem was not "just" one of homosexual priests. But as to:
"it just so happens that we hear of the young men far more than we hear of the rest." how do we know the extent of what we don't know?
If you are saying that the media do not report the cases that don't involve homosexuality, I think you are incorrect, and that they would ignore any homosexual implications possible. The stats we have obviously don't include victims who never revealed their abuse, but how can it be reasonable to assume that the silent victims are more heavily female than male? Has there ever been a study done that shows that women are less likely to report past abuse than men?
On what do you base your assumptions?

[Bill Meyer]

Joanne, clearly the media have avoided the focus on homosexuality, as they persist in referring to the problem as pedophila, which it was not, rather then predatory homosexuals, which it was. Moreover, pedophiliacs target pre-pubescents, which these victims were not.

It's true that we have little data, but the victims about whom the media were crowing had all, to my knowledge, been teen boys.

[joanne]

Bill,
What I said was unclear, maybe, because I expressed it poorly. I was saying that the media avoid criticizing homosexuality whenever possible. Therefore, if they report cases that clearly involve homosexuality, then to me it makes no sense to assume, as Dawn does, that we "hear of the young men more than the rest". If the media had their "druthers" they'd ignore the homosexual implications altogether, but they can't because then they'd have no headlines!

[md. mahmudul bashar]

i want to write to pope Benedict by email or anything else.please give me a email address or mailing address.by which i will be able to write to pope Benedict.i m waiting for a response.

[md. mahmudul bashar]

i want to write to pope Benedict by email or anything else.please give me a email address or mailing address.by which i will be able to write to pope Benedict.i m waiting for a response.

[md. mahmudul bashar]

i want to write to pope Benedict.i need his email address or mailing address to write him.please help me with giving pope Benedict contact address to write him.i am waiting for a response.