Reuters: South Africa cardinal says pedophilia not a crime

[Ian_rd]

"Now don't tell me that those people are criminally responsible like somebody who chooses to do something like that. I don't think you can really take the position and say that person deserves to be punished. He was himself damaged."

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OK, Pope Francis. I hazard to say that actually solving this problem (and not whistling with eyes closed, taking occasional breaks to blame the media like Joe Ratzinger), should be a top priority of yours.

[DetlefK]

1. Describing them as "mentally ill" is equally damaging for the church's behavior.

They covered it up.

And if those pedophile rapists aren't a case for the police, then they are a case for mental institutions and the church also failed to react properly in that respect.

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. Technically, he's about half-right

paedophilia is not a crime (it's merely the sexual attraction to children, which recent research seems to indicate has an innate neurological basis). Sexual abuse of children is, however, a crime. Paedophiles who commit sexual offences against children are still responsible; the solution may be involuntary long-term commitment to a high-security mental facility, or hormone therapy, rather than prison, but these are not people who belong out in society any more than serial rapists or serial killers (it's important to note here, also, that many or perhaps even most paedophiles aren't child abusers; having a desire doesn't necessarily lead to acting on it).

[Courtesy Flush]

4. +1

Retired social service worker here.

Molesting a child is a criminal act. Feeling the urge to molest a child is not. A person can be a pedophile without acting on it. Those who restrain themselves are to be commended.

People are entitled to their feelings. It's the actions that are criminal.

[Catherina]

3. How do you jump from "criminally responsible" to crime?

He's saying they are not "criminally responsible" for the crime because they're suffering from a mental disorder. He did not say that pedophilia is not a crime, or that the pedophile didn't commit a crime.

Pedophilia is a big problem but it's not just the Catholic Church. It's been happening in Muslim, in Jewish Orthodox, in Bhuddist, in Protestant, and in secular communities. The big Jimmy Savile scandal right now involves atheists, seculars and politicians in the UK that was covered up for decades by the BBC, Parliament and law enforcement.

There's plenty of blame to go around and it's not going to get fixed until we take collective responsibility for it and stop trying to pretend the main culprit is one organization. The Catholic Church's problem is it tried to cover it up but so has every single other group.

This sickness pervades all our communities, and all of society needs to recognize that and tackle it together.