The whole teacher molestation issue never occurred at the levels it is now. It is epidemic. I have never seen the number of cases that have been occurring as they are now. Teachers were not having babies with their kids and then marrying them and being turned into celebrities (Mary Kay LeTerneau). You cannot believe that to be true. Certainly not the number of women who are doing it now. They are putting away record numbers of male and female teachers. The focus is full and bright on this profession right now, and it’s not hard to find them.
The sexual revolution of the 1960s and beyond (which made everyone losers) along with an atheistic/evolutionary hardening in the schools have these teachers (grown up and through such a system) not having any moral problems with going after kids. The difference is that teachers have no protection of the place they work for (like the church). They don’t shuffle teachers around from place to place. If the parents file a complaint, it’s to the police, not the school. The police and courts get involved against the individual teacher. The schools will distance themselves so fast from that teacher it’ll make your head spin.
So you are comparing apples and oranges.
I also reject your claim it occurs at the same rates in other churches. I would like to see proof for that statement. Other denominations are not structured centrally like the Roman church, and have the power to appoint and remove their pastors and do not need permission to remove an offending pastor. Any pastor who does that will not have an easy time getting another church in his denomination. First he will be removed, and if he is guilty, will go to jail. He will no longer be a pastor and there is no way he would ever be in charge of a church again.
There is no system in place in other denominations to hide and shuffle a pastor around like the Roman church.
Of course not every denomination has a problem with homosexuality, so there may be places that might go to bat for a homosexual priest, or even embrace them. However I do not count these denominations as Orthodox on this issue and they are not capable of correcting the problem because they say there is no problem.
The other factor you gloss over is that the character of men available to the Roman church is not the same as in other denominations that allow pastors to be family men. The Roman church has misunderstood Paul’s writings and turned them into a requirement, rather than Paul simply saying that if one has the gift of celibacy to stay celibate - however most do not, and in those cases, it is better to be married than burn in lust (and do what these priests do). the fact they want to have sex with something shows they do not have the gift of celibacy and they should be married. The first “Pope” was married - Peter and his mother-in-law are mentioned in the Bible. You limit the field of potential pastors by forcing them to celibacy (and therefore eliminating “most” candidates). Obviously not all are ommitted because they wind up having sex with nuns, women, other men, or children.
Again, waiting for your list of organizations that have been doing the same thing the Roman church has for hundreds of years and also getting away with it.
With regards to other denominations,many small churches are independent or members of a loose federation of churches and ministers/pastors/preachers can move to different locations and set up a church there.
Whether Episcopalians,Presbyterians,Methodists and other non Catholic churches do the same is not yet known. If their pockets were deeper and their fall likely to egregiously wound those who believe in God they would be in the same boat most likely.
The priesthood allows men to sacrifice a big part of themselves to serve God. When one is married,one doesn't give up a portion of themselves as a gift. If you read the Gospels it seems clear that none of the Apostles were married at the time they were chosen. My husband predeceased me and it is likely that the only Apostle that is pointed to as having been married (Peter) probably outlived his wife and was taking care of his mother in law.
You seems to have an animosity to the Church,I hope you will consider some of what I have said and rethink your position. If you are a Christian,I hope you know we are all under attack and if we don't stand together,we will fall one by one. Why do you think it was so important to Jesus that we be as One,as He and the Father were One?
Check out the link in post 44. You must remember when you talk abut numbers that the Catholic Church is far larger than any of the other denominations a so the raw numbers while larger the rates are much the same.
They don’t shuffle teachers around from place to place. If the parents file a complaint, it’s to the police, not the school.
That may be true today but it was not always true.
Parents didn’t used to go to the police about sex crimes like they do today. They did not want the shame that used to be put on the victim. Times have changed.
My second grade teacher suddenly did not show up for school one day and we had a new teacher from that day on. He had molested one of my playmates. It was not in the paper, my parents never heard about it, I did not know about it for several years until one of my other friends told me.
This guy never when to jail but went on to teach in another state.
And that was not that long ago. That was 1967.(I remember reading articles back in the 80’s exposing that this was happening )
It is apples and apples. It has taken a few lawsuits to change schools attitudes. It is two professions that used to have a privileged place of respect in this society. People used to show teachers and priest deference. People used to very rarely question these people’s opinion in most respects. The gloss is off these people today and they are now targets when they mess up. (As they should be when they molest children)
There is no system in place in other denominations to hide and shuffle a pastor around like the Roman church. .
This is true; most other churches do not have the hierarchical system that the Catholic Church has.
Certainly the Baptist and others were the individual church hires its own minister is not going to be able to shuffle a pedophile around and would not have the incentive.