French Author: 80 % of Catholic Priests are Gay

2,064 Views | 12 Replies | Last: 5 yr ago by Texaggie7nine
UTExan
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Although not sexually active, he claims. And some of the most vociferous anti-gay priests are themselves gay.

Quote:

Some of the most senior clerics in the Roman Catholic church who have vociferously attacked homosexuality are themselves gay, according to a book to be published next week.
Eighty per cent of priests working at the Vatican are gay, although not necessarily sexually active, it is claimed in the book, In the Closet of the Vatican.
The 570-page book, which the French journalist and author Frdric Martel spent four years researching, is a "startling account of corruption and hypocrisy at the heart of the Vatican", according to its British publisher Bloomsbury.
It is being published in eight languages across 20 countries next Wednesday, coinciding with the opening day of a conference at the Vatican on sexual abuse, to which bishops from all over the world have been summoned.
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Martel, a former adviser to the French government, conducted 1,500 interviews while researching the book, including with 41 cardinals, 52 bishops and monsignors, 45 papal ambassadors or diplomatic officials, 11 Swiss guards and more than 200 priests and seminarians, according to a report on the Catholic website the Tablet.
Many spoke of an unspoken code of the "closet", with one rule of thumb being that the more homophobic a cleric was, the more likely he was to be gay.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/12/four-in-five-vatican-priests-are-gay-book-claims
747Ag
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AG
You know, there are more and more stories coming out lately with a percentage of homosexual priests. The number keeps getting larger and larger. It's getting to the point of being sensational.
Ranger1743
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AG
Given the church teaching on homosexuals and celibacy it wouldn't surprise me if it was higher than the population average, but 80% strikes me as fantastical.

Also, there is no way to truly measure.
diehard03
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I think claiming to interview 20% of all the Cardinals in the Catholic church lends to the sensationalism.
Frok
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AG
747Ag said:

You know, there are more and more stories coming out lately with a percentage of homosexual priests. The number keeps getting larger and larger. It's getting to the point of being sensational.


yeah it was 50% a couple weeks ago
SoulSlaveAG2005
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AG
Forum 16 would argue that 99.9% of French men are gay, so at least Catholics are better than that average.

My actual $.02: there are lies, damn lies and then statistics.
747Ag
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AG
747Ag said:

You know, there are more and more stories coming out lately with a percentage of homosexual priests. The number keeps getting larger and larger. It's getting to the point of being sensational.
OK, so I didn't read the article initially... just the headline. Lazy and, well, pretty busy at the office. Having now read it, this story limits its numbers to the Vatican. I'm still skeptical as it reads less like sociological and statistical analysis and more like a tabloid.

In contrast, I offer this analysis:
http://www.ruthinstitute.org/clergy-sex-abuse-statistical-analysis

This podcast discusses the study:
https://www.patrickcoffin.media/the-truth-about-the-priest-abuse-data/
Kool
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AG
Ranger1743 said:

Given the church teaching on homosexuals and celibacy it wouldn't surprise me if it was higher than the population average, but 80% strikes me as fantastical.

Also, there is no way to truly measure.
The author is an LGBT activist. I am a firm believer that the percentage of homosexual priests is significantly higher than what is in the population at large, and that this has had a very significant influence on the incidence of sexual assaults against minors (most of whom were postpubertal males). However, I think his numbers are off by a good margin and he is writing this from an activist's point of view.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
powerbelly
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AG
I think the homosexual population in the church is in line with the general population.

They do seem to have a pedophilia problem and a more significant cover up problem.
Kool
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AG
I don't think anybody can ever get to an absolute percentage answer, but I base my OPINION on:

1) Going to Mass for over 50 years and being exposed to many, many different priests.
2) Having a family member tell me directly that, when he was in the seminary to be a Catholic priest, he felt that he was making a tremendous sacrifice in abandoning hopes of a wife and children. His first love was God, so he accepted that burden. He WAS, however, very disgusted by seeing many members of his seminary carrying on homosexual relationships amongst themselves while studying for the priesthood. And he confirmed that there were "Pink Palaces" out there that were known to be havens for homosexuals training for the priesthood.
3) A recent talk to my Church Mens' Group by a priest with same sex attraction outlining the extra cross that he felt that needed to be borne by homosexual members of the Church, both priests and parishioners.

Regardless of the cause, I DO believe that the cover-up has been horrific, and it has put a stain on the Church. Every group covers for its own members - teachers, police, physicians, you name it. It isn't right, but it is human nature. The sins committed by some of these priests, however, have the possibility to ruin lives for years and years and their behavior is inexcusable. As is the behavior of anyone involved in helping to cover it up.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
zephyr88
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AG
powerbelly said:

I think the homosexual population in the church is in line with the general population.

They do seem to have a pedophilia problem and a more significant cover up problem.
they don't have a pedophilia problem... they have a homosexual pedophilia problem.
jkag89
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zephyr88 said:

powerbelly said:

I think the homosexual population in the church is in line with the general population.

They do seem to have a pedophilia problem and a more significant cover up problem.
they don't have a pedophilia problem... they have a homosexual pedophilia problem.
Technically most of the problem is not even pedophilia. Most of the sexual abuse cases were with postpubescent teens.
jkag89
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Priests trapped in closets: The New York Times offers updated talking points for Catholic left
by Terry Mattingly - GetReligion
Quote:

At this point, there is no reason to expect a New York Times story about sexuality and the Catholic Church to be anything other than a set of talking points released by the press office at Fordham University or some other official camp of experts on the Catholic doctrinal left.

This is, of course, especially true when the topic is linked to LGBTQ issues.

New York City is a very complex place, when it comes to Catholic insiders and experts. However, it appears that there are no pro-Catechism voices anywhere to be found in the city that St. Pope John Paul II once called the "capital of the world."

We had a perfect example this weekend of the Gray Lady's role in defining the journalistic norms for covering Catholic debates (as journalists prepare for the Vatican's global assembly to discuss sexual abuse by clergy). Here's the epic double-decker headline:

'It Is Not a Closet. It Is a Cage.' Gay Catholic Priests Speak out
The crisis over sexuality in the Catholic Church goes beyond abuse. It goes to the heart of the priesthood, into a closet that is trapping thousands of men.

Looking for a news story that offers viewpoints from both sides of this issue? Forget about it.

Looking for complex, candid thoughts from gay Catholics who actually support the teachings of their church? Forget about it (even though they exist and are easy to find online.)

Looking for any point of view other than the Times gospel stated in that headline? Forget about it.

So what is the purpose of this story. . .

Texaggie7nine
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zephyr88 said:

powerbelly said:

I think the homosexual population in the church is in line with the general population.

They do seem to have a pedophilia problem and a more significant cover up problem.
they don't have a pedophilia problem... they have a homosexual pedophilia problem.


Yeah. How dare he besmirch the good name of straight pedophiles
7nine
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