I can understand having standards, but when they damage yourself or another, what makes these standards good? I have been doing research a lot lately on religion. The reason: I'm curious. Lately a lot of things have been going on in America, one of these is Creationism/Intelligent Design in school. Another thing that affects me is the pro-life - pro-choice debate.
However, this recent light shed on my world has nothing to do with those things. It has to do with AIDS. AIDS in the priesthood, specifically, and my concern for humankind. I read an article online from the Kaiser Foundation about AIDS among the priests. It is quite heartbreaking that they covered up the causes of deaths and occupation at first. I can understand the desire to keep one's reputation clean, but at what cost?
Even more heartbreaking is the fact that the priests are scared to tell anyone. They don't want anything bad to happen to them. They bear their fate in silence, without telling anyone. Making matters worse though, is the fact that they aren't counselled through the hard parts of dealing with their sex drives so they spread the disease.
Sure, people could attack the priests for lack of control, the church for not counselling them, and various other aspects, but all in all, these men are human. They have emotions, and I'm sure they fear their fate. Where do they turn for counselling? Who tells them when they are dying that they were not forsaken by their god, whom they lived for? Who will comfort them when they know that the church tells them that sex made them weak and not worthy?
My heart goes out to the suffering, priests or not. AIDS is hard enough to deal with without the acts of punishment from religion and unforgiving people along the way. No matter how the disease is acquired, in the last stages the suffering it causes should be enough punishment.
For the article, see this site: http://www.actupny.org/YELL/catholicpriests.html
I've never really thought about how difficult life must be for priests. I think you are on to something: priests should have access to counseling, whether it's from professional therapists, or retired priests who have been through similar situations.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711
Hold up-you say that priests don't have the ability to walk into some mental health center and ask to see a therapist? They're definitely as human as you or I.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/moose3642
Which is why they need the help. Because of their job, and what is said in this article, I'm assuming that priests, and as the person below pointed out, nuns, are discouraged from going to counseling because people want the priests to appear perfect. And if priests do go to counseling, whether it's provided by the vatican or it's regular counseling, certain measures should be taken so that everything, what is said as well as the fact that they went, should be kept confidential, if that is what the priest wants.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711
I got to thinking, if the people that go to the church for advice because they are feeling weak in whatever matter, they would probably not feel comfortable going to a priest or nun that was known to need help. So, this makes things really sticky for the church organisations to begin with. Not only is the church's reputation at stake, but so is the reputation of the person doing the counseling for those in need. It should definitely be kept quietly in the church for this reason. I don't know how many people out there would take advice from someone else just as human as they are.
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You can't ignore me, for I'll not lie down quietly.
http://insanitek.net
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Amazing that priests, the people I thought were untouchable by human woes, can have problems too. I feel sorry for these people. Not just the men, but the women also. I got to thinking more about it last night and thought, "What about the nuns?"
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You can't ignore me, for I'll not lie down quietly.
http://insanitek.net
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If people go to priests for what priests may not offer, nobody should believe in the priests. Leave the counseling to the counselors, and abolish religion.
Counselors are people too.
Don't you think they have weaknesses and problems? And yet, very few people would want to abolish therapy and counseling centers. Just because priests aren't God on Earth doesn't mean we should abolish religion. Although if you disagree with either you are free to stay away from them.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711
But do you see what my point is?
Obviously, counselors are people. But what if people had problems with counselors having problems of their own, and seeking counseling? That wouldn't be very fair at all; after all, the barber must have his own hair cut, too!
And so, likewise, it isn't very fair if people have a problem with their own priest seeking counseling. So priests should seek counseling if they need it in any case. It can be as private as any other person seeking counseling. So when someone said that priests should have access to counseling...well, don't they?