In December of last year, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, California, settled 45 cases of sexual abuse by its priests for a total of $40 million. It still faces another 485 sex abuse cases that will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The archdiocese is preparing to sell off some of its estimated $4 billion worth of real estate to pay the claims. (For more information on the vast wealth of the Roman Catholic Church, see chapter 10 of Smokescreens, published by Chick Publications.)

A 2004 report by the U.S. Catholic Church said that 10,667 people have accused 4,392 priests with sexual abuse.  Costs to settle cases currently exceed $1.5 billion with thousands of cases yet pending.
Catholic authorities have largely succeeded in labeling the offending priests as pedophiles. However, most of the victims have not been young children, but boys in their mid to late teens.

For years before the scandal broke in the media, stories would surface from time to time of a homosexual subculture in the Roman Catholic priesthood and seminaries.  A study of the patterns of male homosexual activity indicates that their favored target is the freshness of teen boys.  And they are less likely to be carrying AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Thus it appears that the sexual abuse epidemic in the Catholic priesthood is more about homosexuality than pedophilia.

Jesus said of the Pharisees that they had made the word of God of none effect by their tradition. (See Matt. 15.) This accusation also seems to stick on Roman Catholicism. The word of God stipulates that leadership in the church should be given to men who are "husband of one wife." The Bible also says that in the last days there would be a spirit of anti-Christ that would forbid marriage. (See 1 Timothy 4.) Thus the popes, also, have made the word of God of none effect by their traditions.

By forbidding their priests to marry, the Vatican has created an impossible environment of temptation for the priests. This virtually shoves them toward homosexual behavior. The prohibition against marriage seems primarily intended to prevent them from having offspring with legal rights to the property of the Catholic church, so they will seek sexual activity that does not produce children.

Most of the evangelical world has accepted the lie that Roman Catholicism is "just another denomination with a different worship tradition." Although, when cornered, a Roman Catholic will claim they believe the Bible and salvation through the blood of Jesus. But when you look at their rituals and dogma, most of their attention goes to Mary and their "Jesus" is perpetually resacrificed as a wafer god that they eat in their Mass. They are forbidden to believe that they can know that they have eternal life.  These traditions cancel the clear teachings of Scripture making them "of none effect."

Soul winners, we must not be deceived by those who claim that Roman Catholics are saved and don`t need us to witness to them. These precious souls are in bondage to a prostitute "church," the whore of Babylon of Revelation 17 and 18. They need to know the freedom of the truth of salvation by faith alone and that they must follow the instruction in Revelation 18:4 to "come out of her..."