an issue that hasn't been faced

By Diogenes ( articles ) | Nov 08, 2010

Bishop Willie Walsh has trouble with orthodoxy. Not just with preaching it; even with recognizing it. 

Still, give him credit: Bishop Willie has trouble with secular orthodoxy as well. He evidently hasn't been reading the weekly memos about how the sex-abuse crisis has nothing repeat nothing repeat nothing to do with homosexuality in the priesthood. So when questioned about the scandal he replies with a candor not often seen among Catholic prelates: 

I’m very nervous about saying this – it’s an issue that hasn’t been faced – but practically all the abuse that I’ve come across has been abuse of boys, and boys of 14, 15-years-old. Now, that raises some serious questions, and if you really went into them you would be accused of mixing up homosexuality and paedophilia. If a priest abuses a 16- or 17-year old, is that homosexual? It’s certainly not paedophilia. Where does the division come? It is a very hazardous area – and there’s no question in my mind that I’m not equating homosexuality with sexual abuse by priests. No, I’m not. But I’m saying that at a certain point the distinction is not that clear.

Now Bishop Willie has spoken, and other Irish bishops may be asked to comment. What do you think is more likely: that the other bishops will distance themselves from his comments on the possibility of ordaining women? Or from his comments on the possibility that homosexuality may just possibly be a factor in the sex-abuse scandal?