General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsThe 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.
— Hemant Mehta (@friendlyatheist.com) 2025-11-19T14:27:23.754Z
They're not defending faith. They're enabling harm.
www.friendlyatheist.com/p/the-cathol...
The groups 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. (Thats not the definition, but lets 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) Kellys 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
Chasstev365
(6,798 posts)So glad I left the Catholic Church a long time ago...
underpants
(193,986 posts)
Whyisthisstillclose
(334 posts)durablend
(8,799 posts)"And just maybe we're still doing it"
BeerBarrelPolka
(2,172 posts)as is that organization.
gab13by13
(30,732 posts)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)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)I remember him presenting on The Bob Grant program on WABC, New York, probably in the 80's.
BeerBarrelPolka
(2,172 posts)I honestly don't know anything about him except he seems radical right wing.
3Hotdogs
(14,835 posts)ananda
(34,057 posts)I wish the pope could excommunicate them.
somethingshiny
(73 posts)If anyone knows about pedophilia, it's the Catholic church.
ms liberty
(10,829 posts)Baitball Blogger
(51,511 posts)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)They're glomming on to Megyn Kelly's excuse that 15 yr olds are okay, they're not children?
ihaveaquestion
(4,301 posts)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)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.
SamuelTheThird
(474 posts)He's been a scumbag for decades
Jilly_in_VA
(13,572 posts)They're also trying to defend their dirty priests with this.
EdmondDantes_
(1,185 posts)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)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)'Guess he hasn't gotten to ole lyin' Bill Donohugh yet.
It is okay, Pope Leo.. Go for SCOUTUS' hypocritical blasphemists first...