Thread: The connection between sex abuse and homosexuality in the Catholic priesthood, in light of the Cardinal McCarrick case, and some ill-informed and outright homophobic comments: 1/
Being gay (or, more broadly, being LGBT) does not make a person a pedophile, an ephebophile, or any kind of sex abuser. How do we know this? 2/
Answer: the example of millions of emotionally healthy and psychologically mature LGBT people who have never abused anyone--and never will abuse anyone. 3/
Moreover, the example of the many healthy, faithful, dedicated gay priests who live out their promises of celibacy and vows of chastity and are beloved by their parishioners. I know scores of them. 4/
Then why does it seem like such a high percentage of gay priests are abusers? Because healthy celibate gay priests are usually not permitted to be open about their sexuality. (There are exceptions: Fathers Fred Daley in Syracuse and Gregory Greiten in Milwaukee.) 5/
Why are most of them not “out”? There are many reasons. Often their bishops or religious superiors will not give them permission; they are private people; or they are afraid (usually of stereotyping of the kind I’m discussing). 6/
Thus, in the absence of any other examples, the only (or predominant) public examples of gay priests end up being notorious abusers, like Cardinal McCarrick. 7/
By analogy, imagine if the only stories permitted to be published about a particular ethnic or religious group were about only the criminals in that group. Soon the public would, quite naturally, see them as always and everywhere criminal. 8/
A significant number of Catholic brothers and priests in the US are gay—as well as chaste, in religious orders; and celibate in the priesthood. They lead lives of healthy service in the church. To paint them all as abusive, or potentially abusive, is a dangerous stereotype. 9/
Also, to say that gay men are somehow incapable of living chastity or celibacy is in fact to go against the Catechism, which requires celibate chastity for gay men. 10/
In short, to say that being gay means being an abuser is the worst kind of stereotyping and should be avoided. 11/11
(We know examples of this.)
