Sexual Abuse In The Catholic Church

Church, for many, is a considered a safe place. A place where one can grow spiritually and become closer to their God. But for thousands of children in the last several decades, it has ironically been, a living hell. 1 Corinthians 6:18 states: “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” Despite Christian belief placing high emphasis on sexual morality, and members of the Catholic Priesthood being required to take an oath of celibacy, hundreds of cases of sexual abuse, mainly with minors, have been reported against the Catholic Church in the last decade alone, and several thousands of reports becoming unearthed as far as nearly seventy years ago.
Reports of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church have gone back as far as the 1950s, but several claim this has been an issue for hundreds of years …show more content…
With Pope Gregory VII declaring married priests could no longer join the ministry in 1075 and his decree becoming formalized in 1123 by the First Lateran Council, celibacy has been practiced ever since. The Church’s reasons for living a celibate lifestyle today is to lead and emulate Christ’s life and ministry during his time on Earth (Cortes-Sjoberg). Many argue that celibacy is not this issue when it comes to pedophilic tendencies, though. According the the National Sexual Health Survey (NSHS), while categorizing molesters into dates, friends/acquaintances, parents, step parents, other relatives, and other, only 15 percent made up the “other” category. The “other” category included teachers, parent coworkers, neighbors, doctors, and adults that helped around the house such as a caregiver or gardener. With in the survey, there was not a single report of a Priest being a molester. This