New Zealand Conservative

From people that profess sincerity around granting 'marriage equality' to homosexuals, is the implicit suggestion that they are respectful of different lifestyles, and this respect is partly what justifies their support for redefining marriage. And yet, sometimes their arguments reveal a total lack of respect for certain groups in society that shows them up to be hypocrites. Consider Matt McCarten reporting back on a Priest who spoke to him: The irony of having a young virgin man in a frock, not permitted to marry, employed by what many would say is an anti-women institution riddled with suppressed homosexual men and paedophiles, preaching to me on the threat of gays to heterosexual marriage, was lost on him. Well, the irony of Matt mocking the priest by suggesting that a man wearing a frock is somehow demeaning whilst he professes to stand up for transvestites was lost on him. The irony of mocking some-one for taking a vow of celibacy, whilst arguing that "each t...

Yesterday, Cameron Slater of Whale Oil Beef Hooked posted an article reporting on a Victorian (Australian) Parliamentary Inquiry, presumably on the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations that is being held there.  A Professor Paul Mullen gave his opinion to the Inquiry that if the Catholic Church didn't require celibacy for her priests, then they wouldn't sexually molest children. Leaving aside the ridiculous idea that marriage would somehow cure paedophilia, the professor also opined that celibacy has no basis in theology: The Catholic Church should get rid of celibacy as a way of preventing clergy from preying on children, an inquiry has been told. Former clinical director of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Health, Professor Paul Mullen, says celibacy has no basis in theology and is just a form of discipline in the priesthood. The professor's reasoning ability seems faulty as he appears to assume that marriage will cure paedophiles. ...

It is a modern belief that celibacy is harmful, that it creates a pathology that allows a man to abuse children. That it would be better that it be done away with. This is because the modern world in our sex saturated culture does not understand celibacy and what it signifies. Many thought that in light of the priestly sex scandals the Pope would rethink clerical celibacy and remove the requirement. But instead, the Pope is reinforcing it. Celibacy, for Catholic priests is here is to stay. ROME, June 15, 2010 – Benedict XVI has reached out to those who were expecting a "rethinking" of the rule of celibacy for the Latin clergy. But in his own way. [...] Celibacy – the pope said – is an anticipation "of the world of the resurrection." It is the sign "that God exists, that God is part of my life, that I can base my life on Christ, on the future life." For this reason – he continued – celibacy "is a great scandal." Not only for today...