GRAND JURY REPORT ON DIOCESE AND POPE�S EFFORTS TO INVESTIGATE SEMINARIES HIGHLIGHT HOMOSEXUAL PRIEST PROBLEM

American Family Association of Pennsylvania

http://www.afaofpa.org/

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 28, 2005

CONTACT: Diane Gramley 1.814.437.5355 or 1.814.271.9078

GRAND JURY REPORT ON DIOCESE AND POPE’S EFFORTS TO INVESTIGATE SEMINARIES HIGHLIGHT HOMOSEXUAL PRIEST PROBLEM

(Philadelphia) – The release of the Grand Jury Report on the sexual abuse of minors by clergy in the Philadelphia Diocese highlights the danger of having homosexuals serving in the ministry, a pro-family group said today. The American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA) reviewed the over 400-page report and found that of the 28 ‘Selected Case Studies” listed in the report the victims of 23 priests were males ranging in age from 11-18 and the victims of two priests were both male and female. This review also reveals the efforts by media to downplay the overall presence of male victims and concentrate on the three priests whose victims were strictly female and the two that victimized both male and female teens.

“This is truly a tragic situation – men who have been placed in positions of authority and children are taught to respect taking advantage of them in unspeakable ways. But, more importantly it highlights the need for the pope to carry forth with his plan to investigate U.S. seminaries for the presence of homosexuals. Because of the age of the victims this is a homosexual problem not a pedophile problem,” remarked Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA.

Rod Dreher, editor of National Review Online writes: "Stephen Rubino, a New Jersey lawyer, says that of the over 300 alleged victims of priest sex abuse he has represented, roughly 85% are boys, and were teenagers when the abuse occurred. Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, an eminent Catholic psychiatrist who has treated scores of victims and priest-perpetrators, says 90% of his patients were either teen male victims or priests, or priests who abused teen boys." Because the victims are teenagers, this shows that the issue is not one of pedophilia as much as it is one of homosexuality.

Father Donald Cozzens, an author, psychologist, and Catholic seminary president says that there is such a high percentage of gay priests in the church that he is concerned that "the priesthood is or is becoming a gay profession." In his book, "The Changing Face of the Priesthood," -- published in the year 2000 -- he estimates that 50% of Roman Catholic priests have a homosexual orientation.

A 2004 survey by John Jay College of Criminal Justice found that, of 10,667 individuals abused by priests between 1950 and 2002, 81 percent were male.

“Additionally the Philadelphia Diocese situation shows the importance of the Boy Scout’s policy not to allow homosexuals as Scout leaders. One of the priests listed in the “Selected Case Studies” abused boys in his Boy Scout troop. Even as homosexual activists continue putting pressure on the Boy Scouts to allow open homosexuals as leaders, the Scouts are right and must maintain their policy to protect the boys placed in their charge,” Gramley stated.

Homosexual activists continue throwing up a smoke screen and say the priests scandal is one of pedophilia and not homosexuality, but the numbers do not lie. There is a major problem with homosexual priests targeting teen boys, not one of pedophiles targeting pre-adolescent children.

But the truth about the stand of homosexual activists and their ‘desire to protect’ underage children was revealed recently when the Children’s Safety Act of 2005 passed. At the last minute Congressman John Conyers added a hate crimes amendment to the bill which added ‘sexual orientation’ and ‘gender identity’ to the federal hate crimes law. This was a provision homosexual activist fully supported.

But according to the September 16 Washington Blade < http://www.washblade.com/2005/9-16/news/national/hate-crimes.cfm>: Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality said the hate crimes amendment was attached to a “very, very troubling” act.

“Parts of the bill are really bad,” she said.

Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force said his organization was also concerned about the underlying bill. He said one provision requires all states to set up sex offender registries.

“In some states, public lewdness is a sex offense,” he told the Blade. “Public lewdness laws are disproportionately and unfairly enforced against gay men in cruising areas.” Congresswoman Melissa Hart told Reuters news service that the measure was designed to protect children from sex offenders.

So the question remains: “Do homosexual activists want to protect children through a better national sex registry or do they want to continue working for “(P)assage and implementation of graduated age-of-consent laws” as the platform of their ‘1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation’ states?” Lowering the age of consent would eliminate much of the illegal activity that the priests are involved in, but allow homosexual priests to victimize teenage boys – only legally.

“Victims of priests of the Philadelphia Diocese represent the tens of thousands of other young men around the nation who have been victimized and whose lives have been ruined through this betrayal. The AFA of PA commends the pope for his efforts to investigate the U.S. seminaries and work to prevent such abuse in the future,” commented Gramley. # # #

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