Celibacy Denies Priests a God-Given Gift

So, Cardinal Roger Mahony said once again that there’s no correlation between celibacy and child abuse (“Mahony Says Victims’ Requests Led to Secrecy,” April 3). If there are not many research studies made, it is because there has not been any interest placed on the issue. When we look at the inmate population in state prisons, one can see that the incidence of rapes and sexual abuse among inmates is very high. “Kandahar’s Lightly Veiled Homosexual Habits” (April 3) further proves this misconception. Depriving priests of marrying has led to a high price paid by many victims. It’s about time for the Roman Catholic Church to move away from such dangerous so-called “traditions.”

It is very obvious to me that depriving priests of this God-given gift will make a person, by nature a sexual being, fulfill his desires in some other way.

Neris A. Hernandez

Los Angeles

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Re “Victims Crushed in a Priestly Silence,” April 3: Is there any concern about balance in Steve Lopez’s columns? Or is he trying to pull off the Promethean task of “burying” the Catholic Church? We all know by now that there are some bad priests. Would he care to write anything about some good priests? Or would this lack newsworthiness? The challenge has been extended.

Nod Mulville

Pacific Palisades