Child abuse in the Catholic Church…again

Many European Catholics are coming forward with allegations of abuse against priests and other members of the Church. So far, the most allegations have come from Ireland, with a growing number in Germany. Strangely, it seems like some people are surprised by the number of children abused in Europe. I guess they believe these types of things only happened in the United States. The only thing that surprised me is that these allegations weren’t made sooner.

As in cases in the United States, priests and other members of the church are being accused of abusing children, while the Catholic Church kept everything quiet, while offending priests were moved to other parishes to harm a new community of children. If that wasn’t bad enough, it appears that Pope Benedict might have also shuffled pedophile priests from one parish to another.

This should prove to everyone that these problems are beyond a single country. The Church’s problems can likely be linked to the types of people attracted to the priesthood. It’s not a popular thing to say, but it needs to be said. Widespread abuse over multiple continents should be enough proof that the priesthood needs to be opened up to a broader group of individuals. There are men who are happily married, good fathers, and outstanding members of their community who would probably like the opportunity to become a priest. Unfortunately, the priesthood is limited to men who aren’t allowed to marry or have children. Personally, I think this rule leads to the selection of individuals who are more likely to be prone to this behavior. You might disagree, but I don’t see this type of behavior in reverends or ministers of other denominations.

I don’t expect the church to ever embrace such a change, at least not in my lifetime. Of course, failing to address the situation will lead to members who distrust the very people they are supposed to trust.