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ihaveaquestion

(4,301 posts)
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 11:17 AM Wednesday

The Catholic League's Epstein defense is even worse than you think

The Catholic League's response to the Epstein files? Arguing technicalities over the ages of the victims.

They're not defending faith. They're enabling harm.

www.friendlyatheist.com/p/the-cathol...

Hemant Mehta (@friendlyatheist.com) 2025-11-19T14:27:23.754Z


The group’s leader Bill Donohue argued that the word “pedophile” only applies to a “person who has sex with a prepubescent male or female, meaning someone ten or younger.” (That’s not the definition, but let’s go with it.)

The Catholic League could have said nothing. Instead they said this. And then they kept talking.

The needed to chime in because they have a long history of defending the Catholic Church against accusations of pedophilia. (Megan) Kelly’s comments gave them an opening to rehash that defense… which never made any sense to begin with.
https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/the-catholic-leagues-epstein-defense

22 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
The Catholic League's Epstein defense is even worse than you think (Original Post) ihaveaquestion Wednesday OP
Yeah; just omit the whole against their will part. Chasstev365 Wednesday #1
Also known as the Megyn R. Kelly defense underpants Wednesday #2
Statutory rape is rape. Whyisthisstillclose Wednesday #3
Translated: "Yep, we've diddled in the past" durablend Wednesday #4
This guy is nuts BeerBarrelPolka Wednesday #5
Exactly, gab13by13 Wednesday #8
Yes BeerBarrelPolka Wednesday #12
I believe he is a one-man show. He's been spouting his bullshit for years. 3Hotdogs Wednesday #20
Ok BeerBarrelPolka Wednesday #21
He is that. 3Hotdogs Wednesday #22
This and Opus Dei are huge problems. ananda Wednesday #6
They're experts somethingshiny Wednesday #7
He's always been suspicious as all hell to me. He's slimy. ms liberty Wednesday #9
White conservative anglo Christianity is the scourge of our time. Baitball Blogger Wednesday #10
Trump and the church are fighting Washington state's new law forcing clergy to report child abuse ChicagoTeamster Wednesday #11
Megyn was actually parroting Donahue's talking points from years ago. ihaveaquestion Wednesday #14
The Catholic League is generally wrong on everything peggysue2 Wednesday #13
Donohue is still around? SamuelTheThird Wednesday #15
Disgusting Jilly_in_VA Wednesday #16
Depends on if you're using the medical or colloquial definition EdmondDantes_ Wednesday #17
And you know ALL Epstein's true past actions and desires, how exactly? hlthe2b Wednesday #19
I thought the Pope was cleaning up this Riff Raff... hlthe2b Wednesday #18

Chasstev365

(6,798 posts)
1. Yeah; just omit the whole against their will part.
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 11:22 AM
Wednesday

So glad I left the Catholic Church a long time ago...

gab13by13

(30,732 posts)
8. Exactly,
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 11:43 AM
Wednesday

This guy doesn't represent the new pope, he can go fuck himself which may be allowable in his offshoot radical organization.

BeerBarrelPolka

(2,172 posts)
12. Yes
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 11:54 AM
Wednesday

The organization is not affiliated with then church. The Catholic Church has a lot of organizations like I explained on another thread. This is a bad one.

3Hotdogs

(14,835 posts)
20. I believe he is a one-man show. He's been spouting his bullshit for years.
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 03:50 PM
Wednesday

I remember him presenting on The Bob Grant program on WABC, New York, probably in the 80's.

Baitball Blogger

(51,511 posts)
10. White conservative anglo Christianity is the scourge of our time.
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 11:52 AM
Wednesday

Guys, they're revealing their secrets. These canards have been sexually exploiting children for centuries.

We can't let this get away without confronting their criminally warped perspective.

ChicagoTeamster

(228 posts)
11. Trump and the church are fighting Washington state's new law forcing clergy to report child abuse
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 11:53 AM
Wednesday

They're glomming on to Megyn Kelly's excuse that 15 yr olds are okay, they're not children?

ihaveaquestion

(4,301 posts)
14. Megyn was actually parroting Donahue's talking points from years ago.
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 12:13 PM
Wednesday

Whether she meant to or not, Donahue said it first. It also may be that it's just something they say among themselves all the time.

peggysue2

(12,322 posts)
13. The Catholic League is generally wrong on everything
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 12:13 PM
Wednesday

Donohue has defended the most egregious and sickening behavior of priests who exploited and abused children, only to be transferred to other parishes where they continued to prey on innocent kids.

Now this--another attempt to redefine the age bracket of pedophilia.

I 'came of age' biologically at 13. So according to Mr. Donohue, I was ripe for exploitation. Many girls today mature at earlier ages. So, if an 11-year old girl is sexually abused, we cannot label her abuser a pedophile?

This is flat-out evil, not to mention completely misogynistic.

There's a reason I left Mother Church.

EdmondDantes_

(1,185 posts)
17. Depends on if you're using the medical or colloquial definition
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 12:24 PM
Wednesday

From the available evidence Epstein had ephebophilia. Still creepy, still illegal, and not a distinction I'd die on (especially since one is much easier to spell), but technically a different disorder.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephebophilia

Please note, this isn't intended as a defense of the horrible actions of Epstein or even the Catholic League, but precision and all.

hlthe2b

(112,239 posts)
19. And you know ALL Epstein's true past actions and desires, how exactly?
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 01:30 PM
Wednesday

Pretty credulous of you to assume he did not just go after older teens simply because in doing so, he had a ready-made excuse (the ole "she looked older than 15, 16, 17, or 18 11 months" line. How do you know he never likewise engaged in sexual misbehavior with those far younger? Are we to believe such preferences are "absolute?" For EVERYONE similarly predisposed to such behavior? He spirited these girls off to an isolated, protected island, after all. Are we to assume we know the ages of everyone when we don't even know who was on the island?

One of the most eye-opening things for me, working and traveling throughout the world in past years (India, Asia, Middle East), was seeing the ex-pats (usually British, but others) who would likewise stay at the local international hostels (more like B&Bs in most countries) while traveling with a very young person (typically a young male child) clearly not their own. I could prove nothing, but it made me very concerned to see this trend, and with no ability to intervene, even if I were more than suspicious. One thing I realized, though, is that attraction for some of these creeps was not limited to a specific "look," "age," "age group,' or even (in some cases), gender...

"Precision, and all... "

hlthe2b

(112,239 posts)
18. I thought the Pope was cleaning up this Riff Raff...
Wed Nov 19, 2025, 01:18 PM
Wednesday

'Guess he hasn't gotten to ole lyin' Bill Donohugh yet. It is okay, Pope Leo.. Go for SCOUTUS' hypocritical blasphemists first...

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