Catholic church abuse: at least one youth castrated for 'homosexuality'

[sabaku_no_gaara]

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archive...e_at_least.php

At least one boy under the age of 16 was castrated to 'help' his homosexual feelings while in Catholic church care in the 1950s, the NRC reported on Saturday.

But there are indications at least 10 other boys were also castrated, the paper said. The claims were not included in the Deetman report on sexual abuse within the Catholic church published at the end of last year.

The paper says the one confirmed case concerned a boy - Henk Heithuis - who reported being sexually abused by priests to the police in 1956. After giving evidence, he was placed in a Catholic-run psychiatric institution where he was then castrated because of his 'homosexual behaviour'.

Pretty damn horrible, I wonder what the investigation will uncover. And if any guilty people are still alive and how hard they will be punished.

How can a representative of a religion that claims to be about love and forgiveness stoop to such barbarity

[Col. Tartleton]

Better than the lobotomies people were doing in regular hospitals back then for people with anxiety, OCD, and schizophrenia... My great uncle got electroshock therapied to hell back then. His little brother died when he was a kid and it messed him up and the treatments weren't exactly helpful.

It was probably considered a legitimate practice. That was over 60 years ago. That's like getting mad they amputated limbs back in the civil war without anesthesia.

[John I Tzimisces]

Better than the lobotomies people were doing in regular hospitals back then for people with anxiety, OCD, and schizophrenia...

It was probably considered a legitimate practice. That was over 60 years ago. That's like getting mad they amputated limbs back in the civil war without anesthesia.

I'm sorry, are you trying to be relativistic?

[Col. Tartleton]

I'm just trying to say the past was ed up. Hell, the present is ed up.

[Dr Zoidberg]

Better than the lobotomies people were doing in regular hospitals back then for people with anxiety, OCD, and schizophrenia... My great uncle got electroshock therapied to hell back then. His little brother died when he was a kid and it messed him up and the treatments weren't exactly helpful.

Tell you what, let's dig around in your brain and then cut off your balls. You can tell us which is better.

[John I Tzimisces]

Tell you what, let's dig around in your brain and then cut off your balls. You can tell us which is better.

Well lemme tell you something, my balls were chopped off the other day against my will but just knowing someone else had a lobotomy makes me feel a whole lot better about it.

[Kanaric]

Tell you what, let's dig around in your brain and then cut off your balls. You can tell us which is better.

TBH he is right there. Being permanently mentally handicapped or having a vasectomy? I would choose the castration.

This was the 50s, people now want pedophiles castrated in the 50s gays were held in the same regard all around the world. I am not surprised and would not condemn the church.

[SLN445]

TBH he is right there. Being permanently mentally handicapped or having a vasectomy? I would choose the castration.

This was the 50s, people now want pedophiles castrated in the 50s gays were held in the same regard all around the world. I am not surprised and would not condemn the church.

A castration is different to a vasectomy, but yeh it would be preferable to having a chunk of your brain removed.
Though both are still horrific.

[Gaidin]

Tell you what, let's dig around in your brain and then cut off your balls. You can tell us which is better.

I think if you dig around his brain first he won't be able to tell you anything useful. Just sayin'.

[DimeBagHo]

Pretty damn horrible, I wonder what the investigation will uncover. And if any guilty people are still alive and how hard they will be punished.

I doubt if anyone will be punished for either sexual abuse claims from the 1950s or the castration of some victims. The statute of limitations will have run out on both. Also homosexuality was regarded as a psychiatric illness by the medical and scientific establishments so using castration as a treatment probably was not illegal. Col. Tartleton's comparison with the use of lobotomies is quite apt. It was common to mangle people's brains, by electrocuting them or cutting them up, and no one has or ever will be charged over that because both were recognised as medical treatments by the scientific and medical communities.

How can a representative of a religion that claims to be about love and forgiveness stoop to such barbarity.

This is a good question of course, and one that should also be asked about the civil, scientific, and medical authorities of the period. A lot of what passed as science back then seems only a few small steps beyond leeches and drilling holes in people's heads.

[pathfinder82]

Doesn't suprise me in the 1970's and before that the Catholic Church was kidnapping kids in Spain that the current dictator didn't like. And a few years ago the Catholic Church in California was moving around a priest from monastary to monastery who was known for molesting kids and the pope today was even protecting him and his actions.

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

If every sperm is sacred, did they cryogenically freeze the balls they took?

[molonthegreat]

Working PR for the catholic church is probably among the worst jobs in the world, I mean you won't go a week without some crazy shite from the past coming up or some priest raping a child.

[Copperknickers II]

In other breaking news, Hitler invades Poland.

[Matthias]

Hush. The Pope wants to talk about the future right now. Like how homosexuality is bad and shouldn't happen. Oh, and don't use condoms.

Gees, religion is an embarassment to humanity.

[Copperknickers II]

Hush. The Pope wants to talk about the future right now. Like how homosexuality is bad and shouldn't happen. Oh, and don't use condoms.

Gees, religion is an embarassment to humanity.

Let's just get one thing straight: the Vatican never said 'have sex freely without any protection'. What it actually says is 'don't have sex at all unless its with a single partner to whom you are married and it is for the purpose of having children'. It is really not the same thing. Unfortunately for the uneducated, it means 'don't use condoms', but I think any reasonable educated person agrees that you shouldn't be having sex with someone if you are so unsure as to their credentials that you have to protect yourself from unwanted children and diseases.

Think of it this way: if you want to avoid the problems associated with jumping off tall buildings, which is more sensible: putting a '99.9% guaranteed' safety net underneath, or not doing it at all?

[SLN445]

Think of it this way: if you want to avoid the problems associated with jumping off tall buildings, which is more sensible: putting a '99.9% guaranteed' safety net underneath, or not doing it at all?

Id use the 99.9% net, would be great fun jumping off tall buildings

[Phier]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing

In the 1950's homosexuality was thought of as a dangerous mental disease. This would have been news were it somewhat recent. This is what people thought was 'good' back then.

Next 50 year outrage?

[Condottiere 40K]

Is it just the nuts or the whole package?

[SLN445]

Is it just the nuts or the whole package?

Nuts, i think.