Did you see last night's 'Nightline'? A former (defrocked) priest was on- and he's just about the first man that I've heard put the emphasis of harm where it belongs: on the children. (So many of these people who are being interviewed seem to feel something like, 'Yes, it's bad and must not be allowed, but on the other hand the church does a lot of good and we must not impugn the innocent...'And they always seem to imply that 'innocent' refers to a priest.)

This man said that in his own case it was as though he had compartmentalized his being during those years (20-22 of them), which allowed him to do it, and it was not until he was eventually caught and exposed, so to speak, by a nun housekeeper that he changed.

He too made the point, as someone did above, that there's a major difference in the rate of recidivism between pedophiles or those who are merely homosexual. He said that the person who sees a prepubescent child as a sexual object is not a good candidate for reclamation.

So. Why can't pedophiles, at least, be weeded out BEFORE being accepted into the priesthood? As many and subtle personality profiles as there are nowadays, surely there is one designed to show up those seminary applicants who are turned on by the defenseless? (Shouldn't be too difficult, frankly) There are probably a battery of tests already that an applicant takes to establish spiritual, mental and emotional fitness for such a life. There should be, anyway.

Ebbie