BOTH CONSERVATIVES and liberals have been trying to politicize the molestation scandal surrounding the Catholic Church. Many in the former category accuse the church's hard-line policies on sexuality and celibacy in the priesthood as being at fault. On the other hand, many conservatives have pointed out that because the majority of boys molested have been pubescent, and not pre-pubescent, that this is a case of homosexual rape and not pedophilia.
Both sides have valid points - however, very few on either side have come close to grasping the reality behind the situation. The popular solutions offered - eliminate celibacy for the clergy, or prevent homosexuals from entering the priesthood - are shortsighted and, at best, band-aids. The real problem lies in the Catholic Church's schizophrenic treatment of homosexuality - both its condemnation of homosexual acts, and its widespread recruitment of gays.
Church doctrine teaches that before marriage, Catholics must lead a chaste life. Additionally, the Catholic Church teaches that homosexual orientation is not in itself wrong - sidestepping the ridiculous "homosexuality is a choice" argument offered up by many other Christian denominations. But because homosexual marriage is not allowed, gays must therefore lead a life of celibacy.
This is where the priesthood becomes an option. Because the Catholic Church recognizes that homosexuality is innate, but demands a chaste lifestyle, many see it as a call to the priesthood. Not only does the Catholic Church refuse to combat this perception, but many seminarians use it to their own advantage. As Catholic Dossier columnist James Hitchcock observed in the March-April issue, the testimonials of many priests "confirmed the suspicion that in some religious orders vocation directors vigorously, even exclusively, recruit homosexuals."
But the idea of the priesthood and celibacy as a safe haven for gay Catholics is dangerous. The motivation behind living this celibate life is not one of spiritual fulfillment, but rather that of repression. And celibacy, contrary to popular belief, is not solely about repression of sexual desire. According to Faithlinks.com, celibacy is "understood to require sexual continence in order to direct all energies toward the single-minded love and service of God." In other words, celibacy is not about repression, it's about finding bodily and spiritual satisfaction through a relationship with God.
By entering the priesthood with these motivations, many priests are later faced with the psychological consequences of repressing their sexuality. Thus, due to the sexual repression, many of these homosexual priests stay sexually immature, with a sexual development comparable to that of a teenager. Or, as Rev. Edward Kaminski of Monterey, CA says in the April 14 issue of the Santa Cruz Sentinel, "Lack of psychosexual development is what [the abuse] is all about."
This also explains the age of most of the victims of sexual abuse. Like conservatives have rightfully pointed out, most of the boys molested have been adolescent - meaning that this scandal is more about homosexual rape than it is about pedophilia. But despite what some conservatives claim, the problem doesn't lie with the insatiable sexual appetites of gay priests for young boys.
Rather, the repressive attitude these homosexual priests take toward celibacy results in the absence of any sexual development. What the church is left with is an abundance of middle-aged priests with the sexual maturity of a teenager, suffering from sexual repression.
Unfortunately, these priests are in a position that is naturally corruptible. Many priests work with adolescent boys, with whom they share a level of sexual maturity. However, because they are in a position of power over these boys, what these priests see as sexual experimentation is actually exploitation and molestation.
The problem ultimately lies with the church's teachings on homosexuality, celibacy and the priesthood. These teachings need not be changed, but the Catholic Church cannot sit by and watch people enter the priesthood for the wrong reasons. Solutions such as prohibiting gays from serving in the priesthood or eliminating the requirement of celibacy from the clergy could reduce the molestation problem. These ideas, however, are shortsighted and only address the widespread sexual abuse on a superficial level.
This is not to free the guilty priests from any responsibility for their actions. There are problems inherent in the Catholic doctrine and practice, and this scandal will continue until these are addressed.
(Brian Cook is a Cavalier Daily opinion editor. He can be reached at bcook@cavalierdaily.com.)
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