Sex Abuse Scandal Deepens Divide Over Gay Priests

NPR’s Tom Gjelten reports that some Catholics are blaming gay priests for the church’s systematic sexual abuse problems, exacerbating the divide among church members’ views on sexuality. He writes, “Researchers who have studied patterns of clergy sex abuse say they have found no evidence of a link with sexual orientation. But the argument continues, with some Catholic leaders and prominent theologians even saying the abuse crisis justifies a purge of gay men from the priesthood.” Marianne Duddy-Burke, the executive director a Catholic LGBT advocacy group called DignityUSA, said, “Whenever the church is under stress, particularly around the issue of sexual abuse and minors and the cover up by the clergy, gay priests have been scapegoated.”

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