Some prominent Catholics have said that the problem is not pedophelia so much as homosexuality. Does that mean that molesting underage girls is okay?
And given that some forms of abuse by the clergy did not involve sexuality at all (and thus not homosexuality), does that mean that they are okay?
The Vatican has also said that the storm of criticism regarding sex abuse by priests is akin to anti-semitism. There is of course a big difference. Anti-semitism (which is wholly different from anti-Zionism or criticizing Israel) is a form of hatred based on someone's race - rather than that person's actions. In other words, it is hating someone based on something that the hated person can't do anything about.
In contrast, people are angry at the actions of the Catholic Church. Specifically, the Vatican has known of child abuse by priests and bishops for many decades, and yet has failed to defrock the abusive clergy and has covered it up.
Note 1: While the agent of consent in Vatican City is 12 years old, when there is a relationship of dependence (like teacher/student/ etc.) the age of consent is 15 years.
Note 2: I strongly believe in freedom of religion, and this is in no way meant as an attack on the Catholic faith, only on criminal activity and cover-ups. Indeed, tomorrow I will focus on other denominations.
