Polish Archbishop Jozef Michalik has stated that divorced parents are to blame for the pedophilia carried out by priests. Apparently parents divorcing creates 'lost' children that priests cannot resist. "Many of these cases of (sexual) molestation could be avoided given a healthy relationship between parents. We often hear that this inappropriate attitude (pedophilia), or abuse, manifests itself when a child is looking for love. It (the child) clings, it searches. It gets lost itself and then draws another person into this." In reality he is blaming the victims.
Whilst this is very upsetting to me, I have heard the same or worse leveled against myself. There were people in the community in which I lived who blamed me for the abuse I suffered at the hands of Griff. They could not believe that this church going, helpful man could possibly be a pedophile and child abuser. The only way it made any sense to them was to cast me as some pre-pubescent Lolita. At the age of 6, having been sheltered completely from sexual matters until that point, I seduced a much older man and made him rape me, molest me and use me for his sexual pleasure. And I apparently kept him under this spell for the next 9 years.
This idea of blaming the victims is not new, nor does it only apply to child abuse. The stoning to death of rape victims in certain corners of the world is the same philosophy, that somehow the victim is to blame for the actions of the attacker.
No child asks to have their trust betrayed. No child asks to be hurt and humiliated. No child makes an adult into a sick, perverted sexual predator. The idea that someone like Jozef Michalik is trusted with the spiritual well-being of anyone is sickening to me. To me it is further proof that organised religion is a dangerous and evil thing.
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