It's not paedophilia if the kid is twelve...

[His Noodly Appendage]

http://rawstory.com/rs/2010/0331/catholic-league-boys-pubescent/

Paging Jesus and Mo!

[Rie]

They were deaf which makes it worse in some way that I flinch at. And pubescent kids are still lacking life experience and hardly can be called ready for fending off adult sexual advances.

[frazier]

The more these idiots talk, the better. I can't imagine a more repellent apologia.

[Bleaker]

Holy fuck.... :mad:

[His Noodly Appendage]

So, if he has a 12yo daughter, I can fuck her brains out, yes?

[Garnet]

What a piece of immoral shit.

[Bleaker]

So, if he has a 12yo daughter, I can fuck her brains out, yes?

I don't think it would even register since she'd be "just" a girl...

[Octavia]

I'm not sure if that makes him more revolting or desperate. What a repulsive individual.

[JamesBannon]

Meh, any excuse will do. Oh yeah, and homosexuals are no more likely to be predators than heterosexuals.

[rog]

Splitting hairs much? even if one were to accept the premise of the article - the offender would just be a slightly different kind of rapist.

If he were not a priest he'd get life in prison, under any normal system.

[LoneWolf]

The head of the influential Catholic League says that the priest who allegedly sexually abused 200 deaf boys in Wisconsin did not engage in pedophilia because 'the vast majority of the victims [were] post-pubescent."

A 12 year-old may be pubescent but most would agree he is still a child. But if it makes them feel better I'll call him a child fucker instead of a pedophile.

But he did say the "vast majority" of the 200 were post pubescent. That means some were not. I am curious, just how many prepubescent kids does a guy have to molest before he is considered a pedophile? I am going to have to say...oh I don't know....ONE.

[rog]

There's an alternate reality novel in this: Imagine Priest & a chainsaw meets Lord of the Flies.

Seriously, if this shit happens again, after we have reached this stage, I hope all fucking hell breaks loose for the catholic church! That's not to say I'm not hoping for irreparable damage to have been caused from what has already passed.

[Octavia]

I am curious, just how many prepubescent kids does a guy have to molest before he is considered a pedophile? I am going to have to say...oh I don't know....ONE.

"But he said he was 12!"

It just boggles the mind. :mad:

[BioBeing]

According to a strict definition of the terms, if the are post pubescent but under the age of consent, it is pederasty, not pedophilia. However, pederasty is still child sex abuse. Many law enforcement agencies, however, use the term pedophilia to cover both pre and post pubescent child sex abuse.

Let me say that again: it is still child sex abuse. It is illegal. And Bill Donohue is a reprehensible shit of a human.

[His Noodly Appendage]

They're calling it homosexuality instead of paedophilia so that they can turn round and say it's all those damn heathens' fault for making homosexuality acceptable, if you'd only listen to us...

[Daydream]

What a dumbfuck! That is an outrage...

[Bleaker]

Having had time to ponder, I'd bet good money he's done it himself. His monstrous statement has all the stink of self-justification.

[BioBeing]

They're calling it homosexuality instead of paedophilia so that they can turn round and say it's all those damn heathens' fault for making homosexuality acceptable, if you'd only listen to us...

Yeah, i see what he is trying to do. Its not like this is a new phenomena though, is it? These guys have been doing this as long as they have had "celibate" priests.

And it is STILL child sex abuse, whatever the euphemism of the day is.

[David B]

I wish I could remember where I've seen the argument that paedophilia applies only to prepubescent kids, so I could link to it.

I have, though, come across it more than once in Catholic apologies for priestly behaviour. Donohue was more spouting the party line than coming up with an original excuse.

I guess there will be a lot of fallout from this abomination. Maybe some fringe sects, like Mormon offshoots, will applaud it:dunno:

I can't help wonder what Bill O'Reilly will say about it, or whether he will show unusual good sense by keeping his big mouth shut.

[Ray Moscow]

There was an argument on RnR a couple of years ago about this. Strictly speaking, adult to post-pubescent kids (or minor teens) sexual activity is "hebephilia" (for younger victims) or "ephebophilia" (for older teen victims).

All of it is "sexual abuse of child or minor", though.

[David B]

Video 3 in this link is where Donohue says that stuff.

http://www.truthwinsout.org/blog/2010/03/7959/

David

[David B]

PZ's take on it.

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010/04/bill_donohue_is_an_evil_little.php

David

[DMB]

Yes, this isn't the disgusting Donahue's own invention. It comes straight form the Vatican.

Even if they had been vulnerable adults in a state of dependency it would still have been a criminal abuse of authority.

[Ray Moscow]

Slightly off-topic: but another of my gripes that drove me from Christianity was the inability of most of the churches to deal with sexuality in a rational, humane or moral manner. (It's not that hard, people -- unbelievers have managed it pretty well with no special revelations or holy books to help.)

One is better off ignoring everything "the church" has ever said about human sexuality.

[DMB]

Slightly off-topic: but another of my gripes that drove me from Christianity was the inability of most of the churches to deal with sexuality in a rational, humane or moral manner. (It's not that hard, people -- unbelievers have managed it pretty well with no special revelations or holy books to help.)

One is better off ignoring everything "the church" has ever said about human sexuality.

True, O Sage!

[His Noodly Appendage]

Yes, this isn't the disgusting Donahue's own invention. It comes straight form the Vatican.

Source?

[David B]

@HNA

I'm not sure if this is what I saw before or not, but try this.

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/sep/09092910.html

GENEVA, September 29, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church in the US and abroad was a matter of homosexuals preying on adolescent boys, not one of pedophilia, said the Vatican's representative at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland. It is "more correct," said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, to speak of ephebophilia, a homosexual attraction to adolescent males, than pedophilia, in relation to the scandals.

David

[DMB]

Yes, that is what I was thinking of. IHEU attacked the Holy See last September at the UN HRC and again in March. The Holy See got so much criticism of that stupid response by Tomasi that this time he said nothing.

ETA see this: http://www.iheu.org/vatican-condemned-un-child-abuse and this:

http://www.iheu.org/holy-see-responds-iheu-criticism

In the upcoming report of the Holy See to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, which is finalized as we speak, a paragraph will be dedicated to the problem of child abuse by catholic clergy.

• While many speak of child abuse, i.e. pedophilia, it would be more correct to speak of ephebophilia, being a homosexual attraction to adolescent males. Of all priests involved in the abuses, 80 to 90% belong to this sexual orientation minority which is sexually engaged with adolescent boys between the age of 11 and 17 years old.

You need to read the whole thing to get the full flavour.

IHEU's analysis of their reply here:

http://www.iheu.org/iheu-responds-holy-see

[Rizdek]

"But he said he was 12!" :notworthy: