A Catholic Cardinal Would Rather Blame The Gays Than Address The Church's Sex Abuse Problem

[appalachiablue]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by DonViejo (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Think Progress

By Zack Ford, Aug. 20, 2018, 11:42 am.

"It is of course a tendency that is disordered."

A Catholic cardinal responded to the sweeping Pennsylvania grand jury report on child sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church last week by ludicrously claiming homosexuality was to blame.

“It was clear after the studies following the 2002 sexual abuse crisis that most of the acts of abuse were in fact homosexual acts committed with adolescent young men,” Cardinal Raymond Burke said in an interview Thursday. “There was a studied attempt to either overlook or to deny this.”

Burke went on to emphasize that he believes there is “a very grave problem of a homosexual culture” both among the clergy and within the Church’s hierarchy that “needs to be purified at the root.” He added, “It is of course a tendency that is disordered.

Downplaying the possibility there is any systemic problem within the Church, he claimed that Pope Francis bore direct responsibility for the scandal, calling on the pontiff to “take action” to enforce the Church’s disciplinary procedures...More...

Read more: https://thinkprogress.org/cardinal-blames-homosexual-culture-for-catholic-priests-child-sex-abuse-3fe6ec43f7ce/

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Contrary to Burke’s rhetoric, there is no connection between child sex abuse and homosexuality. Pedophilia is classified as a “paraphilia”- a sexual disorder- and has nothing to do with one’s sexual orientation, which refers to the sex-es a person might be oriented toward. Yet conservatives have long drawn a connection between the two as a way to demonize the LGBTQ community.

Cardinal Burke himself is considered the leader of the conservative wing of the Vatican, and chief opposition to Pope Francis. Last week his remarks were made during an interview with Thomas McKenna, president of Catholic Action for Faith and Family, an organization for which Burke is listed as an episcopal adviser.



Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke responded to a recent sweeping Pennsylvania grand jury report on widespread child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church last week by ludicrously claiming homosexuality was to blame.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Organized crime. . . . nt

[2naSalit]

2. Protected organized crime...nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Yes, it's a protection racket. Keep quiet or your eternal soul is damned. . . . nt

[pnwmom]

4. It's wrong for him to make this claim, but most of the abuse seems to involve minors, 16 and older,

which isn't pedophilia, though it is sexual assault, and wrong.

[TexasProgresive]

5. Burke has been demoted from any position of authority by Francis

He speaks for a certain group of Catholics both clergy and lay, but certainly not for most Catholics.

[bitterross]

9. Pope Francis needs to xfer him to the Vatican

Burke needs to be transferred to the Vatican and be in charge of water and sewer there.

[Fred Sanders]

6. International convention to ban this church from the world forever? As unimaginable as the horrors

this religion has perpetrated on children...for starters?

Thoughts and prayers are again platitudes not accepted.

[HurricaneWarning]

7. Burke is the biggest asshole in the church. n/t

[appal_jack]

8. Absolutely despicable, Cardinal.

The people responsible for the abuse are the abusers, and the Church hierarchy who enabled and covered for them: no one else.

-app

[DonViejo]

10. Locking....

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