Despite the many voices saying otherwise, I've always thought that celibacy had very little to do with abuse amidst Church clergy. After all, depriving oneself of sex does not automatically make one a sexual predator. Being a gay priest does not automatically make you a sexual predator.
I found an article yesterday that talks about the Protestant clergy's sexual abuse trend. The author makes some very good points. Among them, that the Catholic Church is a much more profitable target as it's a monolithic (that is to say, rich) organization instead of a small independent (er...poor) congregation.
Some may call me naive, but I believe in the celibacy of the clergy. Nuns and monks take a similar vow and are not routinely accused of sexual crimes. Perhaps, as the article states, it's the power of the position that comes into play within the clergy. Nuns and monks do not, after all, have the same hierarchical structure as the clergy.
Either way, sexual abuse is a problem in every Christian sect.
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