Sexuality is a complicated topic

Sexuality is a complicated topic

I take exception to two issues in the April 8 letter, “Catholic Church and pope are under assault by the media” by a writer from New Castle.

Regarding the Catholic Church’s stand on child abuse in the church: The crimen sollicitationis, is a set of procedural laws first issued in 1922 and updated in 1962. One of its requirements is that any person making a complaint of abuse against a priest is required to take an oath of secrecy. Breach of the oath can be punished by excommunication.

Canon law, or Church law, has been blamed for forcing bishops to cover up the allegations, to hide them, and certainly it is true that anyone taking part in a canonical investigation is required to swear an oath of secrecy, or confidentiality. No longer did priests accused of child abuse face a canonical trial and the possibility of “defrocking.”

In regard to homosexuals vs. pedophiles: Are homosexual adults in general sexually attracted to children and are preadolescent children at greater risk of molestation from homosexual adults than from heterosexual adults? There is no reason to believe so. The research to date all points to there being no significant relationship between a homosexual lifestyle and child molestation.

There appears to be practically no reportage of sexual molestation of girls by lesbian adults, and the adult male who sexually molests young boys is not likely to be homosexual (Groth & Gary, 1982, p. 147).

The empirical research does not show that gay or bisexual men are any more likely than heterosexual men to molest children. This is not to argue that homosexual and bisexual men never molest children. But there is no scientific basis for asserting that they are more likely than heterosexual men to do so. Homosexuality and homosexual pedophilia are not synonymous.

Al Nelis, East Palestine

The beginning of the end

Passage of the health-care monster bill is the end of our Republic, and anyone who voted for it will be voted out of office.

My son needs health care, but he doesn’t need to give up his freedom for it.

This will bankrupt our country. By the way, it is not free. Those who actually read the bill are the informed ones who are against it.

Debbie Yeakel, Warren