On Vatican's Proposal To Psych Screen

First of all, Vatican, it's a dumb solution. You ask men to take an unnatural posture in the first place, of renouncing all natural human romantic love and sexual interest, and that is what is going to CAUSE problems in the psyche eventually.

How about this? How about a psych eval from a third party to test for "purity" (like they're distilling contaminants from fish oil) in the beginning, and THEN, evaluations every 6 months? Why not? These guys already act like they're FBI agents, with all their practice at deceit, and you think they're just going to hold up, in a normal frame of mind, after years of deprivation or denial of normal human instincts? Of course, the idea is that they acknowledge their desires but do not act on them. Where does masturbation fit in?

What the gay groups say is true--you discriminate and target gay tendencies, but this is not only your fault, you know too well. The media and the lawyers go after the sensational boy-man love gay sex with priest story, and the lawyers know a jury will award more for damages because most of America is still prejudiced against gays and believes it would be WORSE for a boy to be abused by a man with homosexual tendencies, than it would be for a GIRL to be abused by a man with heterosexual tendencies.

Not to mention the rampant affairs that priests and clergy have with young women or adult women who go to them for counseling, which is a violation of every ethical rule and should be punished with a lawsuit.

The Vatican doesn't want to bring attention to these other flaws, because the problem is actually GREATER than it is with boy abuse. The abuse rates of women by priests, who are in counseling relationships, is extremely high and women are made out to be "the seductress who went after our poor priest" if they report.

Lawyers aren't so excited to take these cases either.

The thing is, your celibacy idea doesn't work. Not only that, it doesn't work to "sanctify" your people either. It ends up generating within your men, all of the unhealthy pyschological problems you say you want to avoid.

Sure, not all priests abuse boys. But what can you say of the rest? How many of them have had illicit relationships with women?

I know one priest, who approached me in a bar, who touched me and kissed me, and wanted to take me out on a date. This was within the last month. Guess what he told me, not knowing (I supposed then) who I was? He said it's permitted and that the church looks the other way as long as there is discretion.

Hmmm.

So first of all--Dumb idea to force celibacy when most of your guys want to get married AND be priests, and they all know how it was before 1100 AD and the stupid rule of celibacy arose. Your own traditions show marriage was sanctioned, and as for all the family-property problems...it's not like you still don't have a fist around the property. Maybe you just don't want to support a "parish family" of 6 (mom, dad, and their 4 kids) and think it's cheaper to pamper a single man with an escort every now and then, as long as he repents, doesn't cause scandal, and maintains an allegiance with authority.

Psych evaluations every 6 months, I say. You're putting your guys into an undercover role with potential ramifications, if you don't. Here, dress up and pretend not to want to screw women..oh, or, men. Don't become alarmed if you begin to identify with children and teens and feel safer in their proximity. Don't be alarmed if you start giving your fellow seminarian blow jobs after a few harrowing years on Celibacy Row.

Vatican, your religious policies, and that's all they are--policies, because they are NOT "tradition", are partly what contributes to the pyschological distress and degeneration of your people.