I'm not convinced by the connection: 'celibacy, therefore, child abuse/rape'

Surely there are other factors. There seems to be celibate Catholic priests who do not engage in this sort of deplorable behavior.

I think it could be celibacy that attracts people with propensities to pedophilia. They know its wrong and want to go some place where they have a shot (at least in their heads) of avoiding it.

Hi Alan

I started a thread on the topic of this particular scandal, though not to do with celibacy. You might want a quick look.

http://www.philosophyforum.com/forum/philosophy-forums/branches-philosophy/ethics/4536-ryan-report-operation-catholic-church.html

My position on this is that the problem lies not with genuine clergy but the fact that the practises of the Catholic church leave it wide open to exploitation. I cite a particular testimony in the above thread that, in my mind, removes any possibility that the perpetrators were what anyone would describe as Christian above and beyond the general nature of the abuses.

The celibacy angle I didn't cover. My first reaction to this would be that since these schools and reformatories were practically rape dens, the description of 'celibate' seems rather inappropriate. I could see your point if the story described, say, a one-off rape charge of a celibate cleric, but the 'Irish holocaust' shows all the signs of being systematic. Vows of celibacy seem to have been abandoned a while ago.

Power, I fathom, is the driving force here, heightened by opaque practises.

Hi it was not my intention of putting down or criticizing the Catholic Church, more aimed at celibacy as unnatural and I feel the priests and Nuns should be allowed to marry, if they want to

The Catholic Church has done enormous good,and sadly also some bad thinks so there are two sided to this coin