If a Catholic priest who was also a paedophile made a sincere confession on his deathbed...

[Sandy-Wroe]

...would that be enough to secure him a place in heaven?

[yogi-bear]

I agree with Salla..........it's just sick full stop.....nothing more nothing less.

[Sqad]

ummmm....But many depressives can't suppress their feelings and DO kill themselves, but they get therapy and sympathy........what is the difference?

[Bbbananas]

But especially from a Man of the Cloth don't you think.
ALL paedophilia is bad & abhorrent - but somehow just that little bit worse when inflicted by a so-called Man of God. Or abuse & cruelty by Nuns and all that jazz.... Almost incredulous and makes a complete mockery of what religion is supposed to be about, surely?

[jake-the-peg]

I think sandy, a Catholic would tell you that to answer that question you'd need to know the mind of God.

Mind you they'd also tell you that purgatory exists, and probably limbo. That the virgin Mary ascended into heaven, that there are saints that interecede for people in the affairs of men. And that when a Catholic priest holds up a piece of bread and says some words it magically transforms into flesh and that using a condom is interfering with the will of God but performing a life saving operation is not.

I could pick on extreme protestant views too but hey today Catholics are on special

[Sqad]

yogi...that answer is not good enough.........sick? yes.......but why do they have these urges and can it be reversed.

[jake-the-peg]

I was instinctively against the castration argument but I looked into it and the studies seem pretty sucessfull - not 100% but very good.

check out

http://www.jaapl.org/...ntent/full/33/1/16/T2

[yogi-bear]

It's an illness/sickness, sqad.

Can it be reversed?.........who knows?....maybe in therapy, but there's always a chance they'll do it again, eh?

[ummmm]

I'm obviously not a very good Catholic then Jake....

[Sqad]

jake....i found those results confusing and difficult to assess. In 3 of the studies, there were no comparison groups..i,e how would they have re'offended without castration.

In some cases, the results were noted as "unclear"
Interesting any way.

[Mr Veritas]

Although I too (like docspock) am an atheist,I rang a friend of ours who is a Catholic Bishop and asked him for an opinion.
He said (in his opinion) that sexual abuse of any sort (of children) would count as a mortal sin (those that cannot be confessed away) and as such the priest would descend into hell, or at least purgatory until he had purged his sins.
So,no he couldn't just get rid of these extreme sins by confession.

[Sqad]

Veri........but that is all right if there is a purgatory or hell, but what it they don't exist.........they've got away with it UNLESS they have come to realise that there is no such thing as hell or purgatory.

[Mr Veritas]

I am sorry sqad,
I assume that if we are talking about a Catholic priest here,then THEYwould believe in Hell and Purgatory.
So I wouldn't say that they have gottten away with it.
If they believe (and we must assume they do) then they would know (and fear?)what their fate would be when they die.
Personally (being an aethist) I think when you are dead you are dead.
SO,yes (to me) they have "got away with it",but then so does everyone in my book.
So make the best of life,cause it sure ain't a rehearsal for anything else!

[Seadragon]

The difference between those 'depressives who can't suppress their feelings and kill themselves' is that their problem affects them only. A Paedophile hurts others - innocent children who have a right to a life. Once they 'touch' a child, there is simply no sympathy. If they have those thoughts and never acted on them maybe just maybe I could slighty sympathize and help should be available to control that urge. But once they 'touch' - no way.

[jno]

sqad, you're suggesting hell and purgatory don't exist without going on to the obvious corollary that heaven doesn't exist either. If it does, and God chooses to let repentant sinners in (which does seem to be the gist of Christian teaching), that's fine by me. Christians who don't want to spend eternity in the company of former paedophiles will just have to commit some sin and get themselves sent to hell, where they will be able to feel all superior.