Vatican calls for psych tests to weed out gays

[ccharles000]

http://www.365gay.com/news/vatican-calls-for-psych-tests-to-weed-out-gays/

(Vatican City) The Vatican said Thursday it is considering psychological testing for prospective priests to screen out candidates “with strong homosexual tendencies” and heterosexuals “unable to control their sexual urges.”

The document, released by Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education, said that early detection of “sometimes pathological defects” would help avoid tragic experiences - a veiled reference to the sexual abuse scandal that rocked the Church and which the Vatican has blamed on homosexuality, despite evidence showing no link between sexual orientation and pedophilia.

The Vatican said that testing would be decided on a case-by-case basis when seminary rectors feared a prospective priest had “grave immaturity.”

“Such areas of immaturity would include strong affective dependencies; notable lack of freedom in relations; excessive rigidity of character; lack of loyalty; uncertain sexual identity; deep-seated homosexual tendencies, etc.”

[Lex]

1. Why don't they weed out the pedophiles instead?

:shrug:

[greguganus]

2. Oh Snap! n/t

[Aristus]

4. Just what i was going to say.

A study (no link, sorry) published in 1988 (But I can't imagine the numbers have changed that much in the meantime) asserted that fewer than 2% of pedophiles were homosexual. That's lower than the number of gays in the general population. So, statistically, a gay person is LESS likely to be a pedophile than a straight person.

But ugly stereotypes die hard... :eyes:

[The Shadow]

8. Exactly!

Apparently, the "church" doesn't get it either. There is no more of an established connection to pedophilia from gay people than there is to straight people. Hey pope! Pedophiles and other sexual predators are what you might want to screen for. Hey, just tryin' to help here vatican.

[gollygee]

9. For real

This Catholic Church molestation scandal isn't about homosexuality at all. It also isn't specifically about the abuse of boys because girls have been sexually abused by Catholic priests too (and, of course, straight men sexually abuse boys).

They can't see the real problem (maybe the celibacy thing isn't such a great idea) so they go attack something completely unrelated that won't even solve their problem.

[BoneDaddy]

13. Took the words right out of my mouth

Father Michael Judge, an openly gay priest with the FDNY was one of the first casualties of 911 was a remarkable man.

They need to weed out pedophiles not homosexual men.

[slackmaster]

3. Funny, they aren't talking about applying the same screening for heterosexuals

who are "unable to control their urges".

[AlCzervik]

5. Vatican needs to be weeding out kid touchers within their own ranks.

[meegbear]

6. Sounds like a bit from The Daily Show ...

when Texas said they would give a questionnaire to potential foster parents. It would have questions like:

Fill in the blank: Once I was afraid, I was ___________
a) petrified
b) don't know

[KamaAina]

7. KamaAina calls for gay tests to weed out psychos

who apparently dominate this "Congregation for Catholic Education". :eyes:

[closeupready]

10. Meanwhile, whatever happened to Bernard Law?

Hmmm?

[Lerkfish]

11. oh great. again with the bizarre assertion of homosexual equals pedophile

especially when the vast majority of pedophiles are hetero.

I think they should spend more time RESPONDING to the pedophile problem they already have.

[Disturbed]

12. If the Catholic Business Corp. purged Homo-sexual men,

Lesbians & Pedophiles within their ranks their numbers of remaining clergy would be quite small.

[suston96]

14. See, here is the problem. Catholic priests are supposed to be asexual. No sex at all.

They take a vow of chastity - no sex in thought, word, or deed.

Now that's a tough concept. It doesn't matter whether it's about homosexuals or heterosexuals. Because it's about NO sex.

I been there. I know. Couldn't hack the NO SEX thing. So, I quit!

[Disturbed]

15. Why doesn't the Catholic Org. render the Priests Eunuchs?

One never hears about Lesbian Nuns. Is that because they pose no Legal Problems?

[suston96]

16. Eunuchs? Nah. Just allow them to marry. Most problems would disappear. nt

[Incitatus]

17. But they say it's a choice

Now they are using tests to determine if someone is gay? That seems inconsistent.