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Some Questions on Pedophilia and Priests. The majority of sexual abuse cases involving the Church's ministers are in fact cases of ephebophilia -- namely sexual attraction to adolescents, most specifically …More
Some Questions on Pedophilia and Priests.

The majority of sexual abuse cases involving the Church's ministers are in fact cases of ephebophilia -- namely sexual attraction to adolescents, most specifically, with adolescent boys. For Fr. Stéphane Joulain, family therapist and psychoanalyst, pedophilia or ephebophilia is an obsession that can have many different origins. Many abusers have suffered abuse themselves, or lived as children in places without opportunities for relating with the opposite sex. Because of this, minor seminaries could pose problems.

"So in the past, we dealt only with male sexuality, since girls were not part of that educational system. Addressing sexual differences did not happen, it did not exist. There were only men. And in many institutions, boarding schools etc., this often opened the doors to such acts."

If, at one time these abuses could continue in a major seminary, now attention is directed towards much greater issues. The introduction of psychology in seminaries was regulated on October 30, 2008 by the Congregation for Catholic Education. However, even after this time of formation, it is necessary to continue to monitor the lifestyles of priests.

"Under certain circumstances, some people experiment with this behavior following a depression, addiction, alcohol use... something that unstabilized them in a moment of increased vulnerability. And in these moments, they can enter the act fairly violently."

Faced with the perversion of pedophilia, there are precautions aimed at limiting the occurrence of this abuse. Father Joulain cites some examples.

"A priest must be careful to balance his life: to sleep sufficiently, have a balanced rhythm of work and rest, to have healthy relationships with friends, family, and not live in severe isolation. So all these factors are to be taken into account in assessing the potential hazard of a person."