SYDNEY (NOVA SCOTIA)
Cape Breton Post
January 22, 2019
By Robert Coleman
The belief that homosexual priests are the cause of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church is gaining traction. While it is widely acknowledged that we need to understand the roots of the problem so as to effect change, healing and justice, we should be wary of being comforted by simplistic answers.
Think for a moment about the claim that homosexual priests are to blame for the abuse. What that suggests is that the homosexual orientation causes, predisposes and compels a man to engage in sexual predatory behaviour against children. Thus it is a risk factor by its very nature. Such a position, however, is not supported by scientific research as conducted by experts in psychology and behavioural studies. In fact, research has shown that the vast majority of sex offenders who victimize children are actually heterosexual men who most often victimize their own family members.
As a heterosexual man, therefore, I am statistically much more of a threat to sexually abuse a minor. Is that because my heterosexual orientation causes, predisposes and compels me to sexually abuse children? Is it a risk factor by its very nature? I somehow think that most people would recognize the absurdity of that proposition and reject it outright. So why don’t we recognize it as being equally absurd when we make such a claim about a person with a homosexual orientation? Could it be that we view heterosexual orientation as normal and homosexual orientation as abnormal? That would indicate that the homosexual orientation is a mental disorder. Again that is simply not supported by science.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.