Warning: Side Effects of Catholicism

Today’s news told of a Court Case involving a gay mans murder in Ireland.

Shaun Fitzpatrick, 32, was found dead on March 23rd 2008 in an alleyway. The Court was told that the he had 52 separate injuries, 36 of them to his head. Two ‘men’ are on trial. Both blame the other for the killing. The trial continues. (article)

Then I read a related article that said 64% of homophobic incidents in Northern Ireland are not reported. 21% of the 1,124 respondents said they had experienced problems with the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The Police Service of Northern Ireland paid for the survey. (article)

I also remembered reading an article last year about Ireland having a problem with Catholic Priest in a sex-abuse scandal. But there was a difference in Ireland. Many of the abused were female. (article)

But this issue isn’t geographically based, it’s a worldwide issue with one common denominator; The Catholic Church (article)

Medicine has side affects. However, in most cases, medicine is good for you.

The above-mentioned side effects are not a complete listing.

Absurdity: Catholic church blames gay community

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's permanent observer to the UN, read out a statement after a meeting of the UN human rights council in Geneva.

He said: "Of all priests involved in the abuses, 80 to 90 per cent belong to this sexual orientation minority which is sexually engaged with adolescent boys between the ages of 11 and 17."

Tomasi added that it would be "more correct" to refer to ephebophilia, a homosexual attraction to adolescent males, than paedophilia.

The statement also attacked other religions, with Tomasi saying that most US churches embroiled in abuse scandals were Protestant, adding that the problem was also common in Jewish communities.

Mr. Tomasi, the men were catholic priests and that is the issue. Trying to point the finger in other directions does not change this fact.

Let us also remember the catholic church doesn’t allow female priests, it’s an “all male club”.

Since the catholic church seems to be confused let clarify some words:

Ephebophilia, is an attraction to post-pubescents, usually around the age of 18-20, which is what the term 'ephebe' meant in the original Athenian Greek (ephebic service was the obligatory two-year military training as citizen soldiers, undergone by all free-born Athenian men when they had reached the age of 18). Note, in most cases, this is not illegal since we are talking about individuals above the legal age of consent!

Hebephilia is an attraction to those undergoing puberty.

Pedophilia is an attraction to pre-pubescent children.

Mr. Tomasi please note these terms are not reserved for homosexuals. They apply regardless of sexuality or gender.

Mr. Tomasi’s statement also completely ignores the fact that many of the victims of catholic child abuse crimes were female – especially in Ireland.

Once again the church tries to downplay its responsibility.

Of course they will claim they are acting responsibly by their decision to disallow gay clergy. How does that protect the women who were abused?

How many members of the LGBTQIA community will now suffer harm at the hands of “devout catholics” (or others simply looking for an excuse to justify their bigotry/homophobia)?

Of course we are not surprised at these words from the catholic church, after all the pope was a Nazi.

It would appear the catholic church is trying to reinvigorate the witch hunts, only this time it’s gays!

Finally let’s look at the fact the catholic church has paid out tons of money because of this issue. In other words, the catholic church is guilty. To try and minimize that guilt by placing blame on others is nothing more then a insulting “slight-of-hand magicians trick”.