A very small number of scientific and medical persons say that paedophilia is a sexual orientation
Groups speaking for paedophiles say it is a sexual orientation.
PAEDOPHILIA –
Pedophilia is termed pedophilic disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), and the manual defines it as a paraphilia involving intense and recurrent sexual urges towards and fantasies about prepubescent children that have either been acted upon or which cause the person with the attraction distress or interpersonal difficulty. The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) defines it as a “sustained, focused, and intense pattern of sexual arousal—as manifested by persistent sexual thoughts, fantasies, urges, or behaviours—involving pre-pubertal children.”
PARAPHILIA ( Medscape)
“Paraphilia is any intense and persistent sexual interest other than sexual interest in genital stimulation or preparatory fondling with phenotypically normal, physically mature, consenting human partners. If a paraphilia causes distress or impairment to the individual or if its satisfaction entails personal harm, or risk of harm, to others, it is considered a paraphilic disorder. A paraphilia is thus a necessary but insufficient condition for having a paraphilic disorder. A paraphilia by itself, without distress, impairment, or potential or actual harm, does not necessarily require clinical intervention”.
PAT SAYS:
So most informed people and professionals see paedophilia as a disorder that is sometimes distressing to the person with the disorder and sometimes not.
We must have compassion for the paedophile who does not act out their paedophilia.
Such a person will find thenselves with a sexual attraction they can NEVER act upon.
Imagine the pain involved in saying NO to your sexual attraction for your whole life.
But it has to be that way because children are totally off-limits and are totally incapable of giving consent to such actions.
OFFENDERS:
I have done a lot of pastoral work with victims / survivors of abuse.
I have also worked with a small number of abusers / offenders.
I have discovered that there are basically two kinds of abusers:
1. Abusers who do not want to re-offend and are willing to take help.
2. Abusers who do not want help and who will re-offend, given the opportunity.
Abusers who want help can really be helped not to re-offend. But this involves life-time management and support. I have seen a small number of people achieve this.
Abusers who do not want help have to be closely monitored by the authorities. These folk can be very manipulative – so extreme caution is vital.
In Ireland’s case, I do wonder how our strict and repressive Catholicism played its part?
BISHOP PAT BUCKLEY 