I have great sympathy for victims of clergy sex abuse. More than anyone else, they have been the victims of the Scandal. But sometimes I get frustrated with some of them.
Yesterday, a group of female victims protested outside the Boston chancery against the new Instruction on ordaining homosexuals. They say that the new policy won’t prevent abuse against girls, saying that it wasn’t gay priests who abused them. Well, yes, but as we’ve seen the vast majority of victims were boys.
And even then this policy is not solely about stopping abuse, although that would be a side effect. The point of this policy is to make sure that the priesthood is filled with men who actually, you know, believe and integrate into their lives the Church’s teachings. It is intended to foster a healthy priesthood that effectively relates to the Church according to the Scriptural and theological imagery of the Christ and His Bride.