Serious "priest" question
 

Having grown up catholic, yes confession every week, in Pittsburgh, in many of the older large churches the nuns also resided in the same generally large rectories as the priest. It was very highly suspected that inappropriate behavior initiated by the priest took place in the rectories. I am interested in opinions regarding why those complaints by the nuns have never surfaced? Your thoughts

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My first thought also.

I went to Catholic school for 8 years in Baltimore, and was an altar boy. Never saw any wrong doing from any nun or priest.

Me either.

I have never seen a building where priests and nuns live together. One kind lived in a rectory. The other kind lived in a convent.


Our daughter's first grade teacher, Sister Dorothy married a young priest from our parish.


I have known lots and lots of dedicated, Godly clergy.

I have known a few who weren't Godly. I too am saddened by the recent news from Pennsylvania. Our churches in Ohio are nearly empty on Sundays and Holy days.

I must say that there is the Institutional church and then there is the church community.

Ditto. Parochial school grades 1 to 8, I was an altar boy and went to a Catholic H.S. Never any hint of wrong doing other than the nuns slapping me around for not being a good boy. :boxing2:

I attended a Catholic grammar school and high school in Dubuque, Iowa in the 1960's-1970's. Nothing happened at my grammar school that I know of during the time I was there. Unfortunately long after I graduated from my grammar school, some cases of abuse were reported probably about 12 years ago. The Archdiocese of Dubuque paid over $5 million to 26 victims several years ago. The Archdiocese of Chicago has also paid out millions to victims. Same thing has occurred in many other dioceses and archdioceses across the U.S. -- millions paid out to abuse victims.

This has happened from coast to coast...extremely sad; makes me angry that this abuse of children happened for decades with bishops, archbishops and cardinals looking the other way. :mad:

There was a mention in one of the articles written about the PA cases that "nuns" were pursuing legal action also. I will try to find the link.

In any population, group, gathering, membership, et al, there will always be a statistical opportunity for a bad act/actor or mis-deed, serious or other wise.

The isolated or minority representation, like this subject, and unfortunately too many others, tend to be presented as general conditions when they are not.

Those of us who have been catholic all our lives most likely have never or will become aware of serious incident.
Eighty years, catholic schools including college and many churches over our life time.....no hint of wrong doing anywhere....which is the more typical representation.

General conditions derived from isolated incidents are very mis-leading.

Here's the link
 

Massive cover-up , priests moved from parish to parish. Parents never went to police and if they did police took no action.

Just like Hollywood, corporate America, Congress, etc, etc.......just about anyplace where males and females co-exist, haves and have nots, upper and lower class, etc.

The common denominator?
Males and females present!!

Another pattern is how such goings on can be kept secret for years and years and then all of a sudden "discovered" and then the me too multitudes come forward.

None of the above is intended as support for the wrong doings. Just merely pointing out the unfortunate reality of certain events/environments.

Spotlight (2015) - Rotten Tomatoes

This is a great movie about how this kind of evil flourishes at times and in certain conditions.

The problem to me seems to be over-rigid adherence to a moral code that does not reflect the private needs of people verbally committing to this code but not following it in practice as it ignores reality. Gay men preying on boys they are supposed to be educating and protecting.

Gay men should be allowed to marry other gay men. Or date them. Some of the Catholic morality just does not seem to recognize real life situations. Maybe they would not prey on boys if they had the possibility of dating other gay men.

When I was old enough to be an alter boy I asked if I could join. My friends were accepted and I was turned down and instead they made me a patrol boy. My big job was to safely get kindergartners and first graders across a busy street. We had 2 parish priests, one was fun to be with and a bit of a ladies man. We figured that out as we became of age. The other was angry most of the time and as little ones we were scared of him. He was my second cousin. I remember telling my mother that I get nervous around him, lot's of kids did. He could be violent but as kids we thought that was a justifiable option. My mother sent me to my grandmother who told me that as kids he was called Fat Little Andy. I think Fat Little Andy blackballed me from being an Alter Boy. The nun told me that I wasn't very good in English and not bright enough to be an Alter Boy. I just wanted to get out of class for funerals and make tips, just like my friends. Maybe they knew. I also could make my friends break up when they were supposed to be quiet. Maybe that was it. I never heard of anything improper in my Parish but still wonder why I was excluded. As kids we did live in fear more then respect for the clergy.