Father Gabriele Amorth, chief exorcist discusses his beliefs.
In response to the growing number of Catholic priests who have been accused of molesting children, Father Gabriele Amorth, chief exorcist at the Vatican pointed out that these priests, just like everyone else, can be "tempted by Satan."
"It's not my opinion: I'm saying that if you believe in the Gospels, you believe in the existence of the devil, in the devil's power to possess people," Amorth said to CNN. As the child-abuse scandals sweep their way across Europe, Amorth adds that these priests are tempted by Satan, but not possessed.
Amorth explains that it is the devil's job to tempt people. While, I agree that all people are prone to making mistakes (whether you believe that it is the devil that tempts them or not), I find it extremely disturbing that a religious figure is shifting the blame of an ongoing crime on Satan. It is not fair to excuse such actions under any circumstances. If this explanation does become acceptable, then the same can be applied to everyone; like murderers, terrorists, and rapists, just to name a few.
Everyday, people all over the world talk about how statutory rape or child molestation is disgusting. Yet, here comes a prominent religious figure in the Catholic faith who blames such a crime on the "devil." His words as a religious figure are of extreme importance. There are pedophiles out there who are not willing to take responsibility for their actions and they are always hesitant to admit that they have a problem. Unfortunately, they can take Amorth's comments as another excuse to not pay for their crimes.
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