Pope wants psych tests for incoming priests; Diocese of Salt Lake City says that's already common

[trotsky]

https://www.abc4.com/news/local-news/pope-wants-psych-tests-for-incoming-priests-diocese-of-salt-lake-city-says-that-s-already-common/1876520469

The Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City said priests who serve in Utah generally have undergone thorough psychological evaluations before they begin their ministries; meanwhile, Pope Francis is calling on all Dioceses to implement the practice of having incoming seminarians undergo the same process.

The papal call comes as the Catholic Church deals with widespread allegations of sex abuse among priests. In the United States, this practice of psychological evaluations for incoming priests is already common.

But Judy Larson, a volunteer board member for the Utah chapter of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) said she fears these psychological evaluations are not doing enough to keep predators out of the priesthood.

"Because they will lie. Who's gonna admit 'I'm a pedophile'", said Larson "Who's gonna admit 'I want to have sex with kids?'"

Please note that this again shows the pope and his church are trying to dodge responsibility for the greater crime of enabling and covering up the sexual abuse of children.

Like certain other believers, they blame only people, and see nothing wrong with their religious practices.

[MineralMan]

1. Psychological testing for such tendencies is woefully unreliabe.

Pope Francis is attempting an "end around" play here, so he can say, "Not our fault."

The answer to the problem of pedophile priests is immediate suspension or dismissal and referral to law enforcement of priests accused of child sexual abuse. Ending the toleration and cover-ups of such behavior would go a long way toward reducing the number of incidents. Having women as priests in equal numbers with men would also be a deterrent, since they might be less likely to tolerate such behavior. Allowing priests to marry and procreate would be another way to decrease the number of occurences.

Saying, "Not our fault," however, accomplishes nothing. That has been demonstrated for quite a long time.

[Major Nikon]

4. About as reliable as lie detectors

Which are about as reliable as a coin flip.

[Major Nikon]

2. Frank has said those who have homosexual desire should not be allowed to be priests

So I suspect that has a lot more to do with it.

[Blue_playwright]

3. A comprehensive psych evaluation isn't perfect...

But it isn’t as simple as asking “are you a pedophile?” It uses other therapeutic techniques to probe beyond the surface.

I think it’s a positive step and won’t weed out all predators, but enough to make some impact.

It’s like the starfish story - the little boy running along the beach at low tide tossing starfish back into the ocean. His mom tells him “you can’t save them all, it doesn’t matter...”

He replies, “it matters to this one,” as he throws another back.

It’s not a full-on plan to combat this, I agree, but it can help.

I’m a Methodist, so an outsider, but I get the vibe that the current pope is so much less political and was so focused on his own pet issues/mission that he really didn’t fully comprehend the breadth of this problem. I see someone grasping at ideas and throwing them out and trying to fight the cardinals to implement some punishments and change - while hitting a red brick wall and practiced stall tactics.

I wonder, if left alone, if he would allow priests to marry?

[trotsky]

5. "Weeding out" predators is one thing.

Changing the practices and culture of the church that enables abuse is something the pope could constructively do. But he won't.