Reports of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church have gone back as far as the 1950s, but several claim this has been an issue for hundreds of years …show more content…
With Pope Gregory VII declaring married priests could no longer join the ministry in 1075 and his decree becoming formalized in 1123 by the First Lateran Council, celibacy has been practiced ever since. The Church’s reasons for living a celibate lifestyle today is to lead and emulate Christ’s life and ministry during his time on Earth (Cortes-Sjoberg). Many argue that celibacy is not this issue when it comes to pedophilic tendencies, though. According the the National Sexual Health Survey (NSHS), while categorizing molesters into dates, friends/acquaintances, parents, step parents, other relatives, and other, only 15 percent made up the “other” category. The “other” category included teachers, parent coworkers, neighbors, doctors, and adults that helped around the house such as a caregiver or gardener. With in the survey, there was not a single report of a Priest being a molester. This