Quantcast
Published On: Sat, Mar 16th, 2013

South Africa: Archbishop of Durban, Wilfrid Fox Napier says ‘pedophilia is not a crime’

One of the 115 cardinals who elected Pope Francis I as the 266th pontiff last Wednesday has come out with some strong and perhaps controversial statements about pedophilia , according to a BBC radio interview Friday.

Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier Image/Video Screen Shot

Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier
Image/Video Screen Shot

The Archbishop of Durban in South Africa, Wilfrid Fox Napier said that pedophilia is a “psychological disorder” and not a crime during the interview.

“What is pedophilia? It is condition, it’s a psychological condition, it’s a disorder”, the Cardinal asked. “What do you do with disorders?”

The 72-year-old Napier says it’s one thing to choose to break the law, then that person should be punished; however, pedophilia is an illness, not a criminal condition.

He recalls in the interview about two priests that “became” pedophiles after being abused as children.

“Don’t tell me that those people are criminally responsible like somebody who chooses to do something like that”, he said.

“I don’t think you can really take the position and say that person deserves to be punished. He was himself damaged”, Napier said to the surprise of the interviewer.

This comes a month after Pope Benedict XVI sought immunity for the mishandling and “cover-up” of  child sex crimes.

On the DISPATCH: Headlines  Local  Opinion

Subscribe to Weekly Newsletter

* indicates required
/ ( mm / dd ) [ALL INFO CONFIDENTIAL]

About the Author

- Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian Follow @bactiman63

Displaying 5 Comments
Have Your Say
  1. CHRISTOPHER ALLEN HORTON says:

    WHEN I SAW THE TITLE OF THIS ARTICLE, I WAS READY TO GIVE “MAJOR KUDOS” TO Archbishop Wilfrid Fox Napier. IT WOULD HAVE MEANT A LOT TO “god-fearing” SUPPORTERS OF BOY/MAN LOVE TO HAVE HAD HIS ENDORSEMENT.

    WHY, Robert Herriman, DID YOU LATER WRITE THE ARCHBISHOP THINKS BOY/MAN LOVERS HAVE A MENTAL IMPAIRMENT? ….. Mr. Herriman, YOU HAD ME!

    IN CONTEMPORARY TIMES – WHEN JOURNALISTS LACK CREDIBILITY – IT IS SILLY TO “DRAW READERS IN” WITH “CATCHY” AND FALSE HEADLINES. SHAME, Mr. Herriman.

    CHRISTOPHER ALLEN HORTON

  2. Miss Janet Brooks says:

    Paedophilia is a vile crime, not a psychological illness. It is also a Biblically condemned sin of sexual immorality and cowardice. Paedophiles are thoroughly condemned to Hell, as testified to by the irrefutable Book of Revelations in the Bible.

    • CHRISTOPHER ALLEN HORTON says:

      “Miss Janet Brooks,”

      ALTHOUGH I AM ATHEIST, I CAN TELL YOU WITH ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY, THERE IS NO MENTION IN Book of Revelations OF BOY/MAN LOVERS – OR, AS YOU TYPE, paedophiles – GOING TO “hell.” AS AN ATHEISTIC HOMOSEXUAL, I FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE THE Leviticus Verse WHICH CONDEMNS HOMOSEXUALITY. BUT, SINCE I AM ATHEIST, I KNOW “heaven” AND “hell” ARE IMAGINARY PLACES – SO, I AM NOT CONCERNED.

      CHRISTOPHER ALLEN HORTON

  3. Sue Lilly says:

    It may well be that Napier is correct in his assessment, but in that case why are people with that psychological disorder allowed to become priests? If the church allows people with that type of psychological disorder to become priests, they have to take responsibility for it.

  4. 'Paedophilia not criminal condition' says Durban cardinal - BBC News · Sync Dating and Sync Date - Real Online DatingSync Dating and Sync Date – Real Online Dating says:

    […] 'an illness' says top clericExpress.co.ukAFP -Eyewitness News -The Global Dispatchall 24 news […]

Leave a comment

XHTML: You can use these html tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

like_us_on_facebook

 

The Global Dispatch Facebook page- click here

Movie News Facebook page - click here

Television News Facebook page - click here

Weird News Facebook page - click here 

DISPATCH RADIO

dispatch_radio

THE BRANDON JONES SHOW

brandon_jones_show-logo

Archives