The Abuse Study

I'm working my way through it and the recent CDF document. I don't get it.

The CDF bit isn't that interesting. Nothing really new here.

The study. HooBoy.

A lot of blame seems to be getting placed on the 60s and 70s. Weren't there a lot of abuse cases before then? Umm, yeah. Their own graph shows a hockey stick upturn in abuse cases from 52-58. Almost half of the priests in question were ordained before 1960.

Second, 81% of the cases were against boys, but there's no evidence that homosexuality is a problem. Most of the cases were ephebophilic. This is admitted by everyone. From a mental and behavioral health standpoint, that has a direct link to homosexuality (unlike pedophilia). Nobody argues with this either. Yet homosexuality has nothing to do with the problem? Really?

Third, there is no discussion whatsoever of the Lavender Mafia's existence. There's a pretty good bit of evidence indicating an organized group in the Church that is promoting this stuff. Geez, people. Even Andrew Greeley is on-board with this. Why the lack of spine in dealing with it? Is there that much dirt left on that many people?

I hate to say it, but this report doesn't really seem concerned about dealing with the actual problems. Hey, I think the 60s and 70s were crap decades, too. I thank God I didn't have to live through all that. The music alone is enough to make one shudder. Blaming the abuse crisis on hippies is ridiculous, though. I hope South Park doesn't hear about this. The jokes write themselves.