Recent news reports in Roman Catholic and secular newspapers have supported ex-Jesuit Alberto Rivera's claim that sodomy, promiscuity and illegitimacy are wide spread problems among Roman priests, monks and nuns.

The cover story in the March 16, 2001 issue of the National Catholic Reporter described reports of nuns from 23 countries who have been pressured for sexual favors or outright raped by priests and bishops. When they became pregnant, they were sometimes sent for abortions or turned out of their convents to live in disgrace in society or turn to prostitution to survive. In most cases the priests involved were only mildly reprimanded if at all.

The majority of the cases were from Africa, but the U.S., Brazil, the Philippines, India, Ireland and Italy also reported such abuse. Vatican officials are blaming cultural factors such as the fact that some societies teach their young girls to strictly obey male authority figures.

The AIDS epidemic is also supposedly responsible. Priests, who used to seek out local prostitutes, now fear they will catch AIDS and are turning to "safer" sex with nuns.

Vatican officials claim that they are working on the problem but local mother superiors and abbots feel that the problem is not receiving adequate attention. Some Catholic leaders are focusing on the heart of the problem by advocating that priests be allowed to marry.

This, of course, threatens a major structure of bondage that holds the world-wide hierarchy together. Through the vow of celibacy, Roman Catholicism elevates the "clergy" to a position above the "laity."

If they were allowed to marry, the uniqueness of their position would be reduced in the eyes of the laity. This is what Christ was getting at in Matthew 23 when He forbid us to call any man "Father" or "Master" (Rabbi). He said that only God was our spiritual Father and Christ was our Master. In other words, we were not to put any man as a go-between. The human priesthood was abolished by Jesus who became our only High Priest and now we are to have a direct relationship only with Him.

The Roman Catholic requirement of celibacy is just one part of the priestcraft system which separates man from direct relationship with God.

Other evidence in Roman Catholicism that the requirement of celibacy encourages perversion, is the hundreds of millions of dollars which have been paid to victims of pedophile priests. In recent years, numerous dioceses have been successfully sued by former altar boys and others who were sexually violated by priests.

In some isolated cases, irate husbands have attacked priests who were abusing their wives. Converted priest Charles Chiniquy wrote in his book, 50 Years In The Church of Rome, how the confessional becomes a temptation trap for priests who must ask wives and daughters detailed questions about their sex lives. (See also The Priest, The Woman and the Confessional by Charles Chiniquy.)

On another front, Kansas City Star reporters have uncovered information that Catholic priests in the U.S. are four times as likely to die of AIDS as the general population. This supports other reports that the celibate priesthood contains a high percentage of homosexuals.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy (1 Tim. 4) that in the last days some would "depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils." One of the doctrines he lists is "forbidding to marry."

For more information, see Crusaders Comics, Alberto Series available from Chick Publications.