It is now recognised that the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic
clergy and monks is neither a new problem nor is it caused by
‘celibacy’; it has an extraordinary long history that goes back 2000
years as shown by Dominican priest Father Thomas Doyle, and two former
Benedictines, celibacy historian A.W.R Sipe and theologian and canon law
expert Patrick Wall in their meticulously researched book, Sex Priests and Secret Codes
(2006) .
They show that the Venerable Bede, (AD 672/3-735) decreed that clergy who committed sodomy with children should be given increasingly severe penances commensurate with their rank. Laymen would be ex-communicated and made to fast for three years while deacons, priests and bishops had to fast for seven, ten and twelve years respectively (p19). In the 12th and 13th centuries, the crime was labeled as sacrilege, then heresy. Penalties became harsher, including fines, castration, exile and even death. Accused clergy were dealt with by church courts then handed to secular jurisdictions for further punishment. That did not stop the crimes.
http://nma.gov.au/blogs/inside/2010/03/26/child-sex-abuse-and-the-church/
They show that the Venerable Bede, (AD 672/3-735) decreed that clergy who committed sodomy with children should be given increasingly severe penances commensurate with their rank. Laymen would be ex-communicated and made to fast for three years while deacons, priests and bishops had to fast for seven, ten and twelve years respectively (p19). In the 12th and 13th centuries, the crime was labeled as sacrilege, then heresy. Penalties became harsher, including fines, castration, exile and even death. Accused clergy were dealt with by church courts then handed to secular jurisdictions for further punishment. That did not stop the crimes.
http://nma.gov.au/blogs/inside/2010/03/26/child-sex-abuse-and-the-church/