Pope Francis by Nation Geographic

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(08-17-2015, 01:46 PM)RICHMONDBENGAL_07 Wrote: I was raised in a Baptist house hold, though I no longer subscribe to the religion I was raised in.  My best friend was raised Catholic, but he also no longer subscribes to that religion.  He went to a Catholic school until he convinced his parents to let him go to public school with me and our other friends.  Though I'm not a believer, I find religion fascinating.

Religion is fascinating and it plays a big role in our world. Just look at the Arian Foster article someone posted the other day. His COLLEGE (theoretically at least somewhat educated) teammates hear he is atheist and ask if that means he worships the devil! So religion and the often concomitant ignorance of other beliefs is a significant phenomenon and I think you are wise to take an interest it it even if you don't have a personal religious system you subscribe to.

But going back to the pope and the abuse thing, celibacy is a problematic issue for the church but lets be clear that is not what drives priests to rape children and vulnerable adults and occasionally take mistresses (or male lovers). All those things could and would happen in the absence of celibacy. The problem is how the church deals with those things when they do happen: they deny it, they threaten the victims, and they shield the abuser. I will say it again, if you are interested in religion and/or child welfare pick up Whistle.

Also, you might want to read a book with a much more academic tone to it, coauthored by Tom Doyle and two others (Pat Wall and Richard Sipe). They were asked to write a position paper on dealing with sexual abuse by priests and religious and it evolved into this book:
http://http://www.amazon.com/Sex-Priests-Secret-Codes-Catholic/dp/1566252652

It traces the issue not back to Boston in the early 2000's or even to Louisiana in the early 1980's but to the earliest days of the Catholic Church.