...A preliminary report commissioned by the nation's Roman Catholic bishops to investigate the clergy sex abuse scandal has found no evidence that gay priests are more likely than heterosexual clergy to molest children, the lead authors of the study said Tuesday.
The full report by researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice won't be completed until the end of next year. But the authors said their evidence to date found no data indicating that homosexuality was a predictor of abuse.
"What we are suggesting is that the idea of sexual identity be separated from the problem of sexual abuse," said Margaret Smith of John Jay College, in a speech to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. "At this point, we do not find a connection between homosexual identity and the increased likelihood of subsequent abuse from the data that we have right now." (My emphasis)
From USA Today.
As Jim Naughton says at The Lead, "Let the search for alternative scapegoats begin."
The article includes other interesting tidbits from the U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is presently meeting in Baltimore.
Oh God help me and save me from my own kind - by that I mean the RC's. I got into it at a Catholic blog about this.
ReplyDeleteHere is a well written Catholic blog post about human sexuality from someone I respect, Eric Stoltz. Click here.
Very. Well. Done.
The idiots will continue to be idiots.
Fran, Stoltz's article is very much to the point and well-done. His theory about the crisis zone may well be right. I fully agree with him about the spectrum of sexuality.
ReplyDeleteIf not for America magazine, and living in a country where extreme minority status for Catholics allows for no rantings from the altar, I would totally despair.
ReplyDeleteI appreciated Stoltz's article, thank you, Fran.
Like a lifeline, Catherine?
ReplyDeleteHow many more studies have to come to the same conclusion before people are willing to give up their prejudices?
ReplyDelete"We can easily reduce our detractors to absurdity and show them their hostility is groundless. But what does this prove? That their hatred is REAL. When every slander has been rebutted, every misconception cleared up, every false opinion about us overcome, intolerance itself will remain finally irrefutable."
Moritz Goldstein
What Goldstein says is true, Mike. Some folks are just not willing to give up their prejudices.
ReplyDeleteThey won't need an alternate scapegoat. They have "HOLY TRADITION" and "INFALLIBILITY" - what's reason, study and sanity compared to that?
ReplyDeleteRemind me to tell you about the book Small Gods sometime. If you can find it, please take a read.
Mark, the title rings a bell, but I have not read the book.
ReplyDeleteIt's by Terry Pratchett - he is an atheist, but more like our IT than Dawkins. Certainly, he's more open-minded!
ReplyDeleteHis fiction is sort of like Tolkien with a gritty - very gritty - humorous edge.
And Goldstein's quote is why we must resist when our opponents try to "guilt" those of us who preach tolerance into accepting their intolerance....
ReplyDelete(Just FTR, I don't teach my children "tolerance." I teach them RESPECT for other people's beliefs and choices--until, that is, those beliefs and choices begin to hurt people who don't hold them or choose them.)
Doxy
Good point, Doxy.
ReplyDelete