Edited sentence: Also, one should not easily dismiss the reality of some men in power who intentionally create confusion in order to safeguard personal indulgences and appetites.Because of a misreading of the first canon of the Council of Nicea of 325 directed at clergy alone and, no doubt, based on the Mosaic ban against "castrated" priests mentioned in Leviticus 21:20 that is currently translated as "herniated," many Italians erroneously assumed (as many people still erroneously assume) that castration was and is a forbidden act of mutilation for all men by the Catholic church.Castration for music was an almost totally Italian practice.In addition to the practices of the Vatican involving the castrati and its exultation of the scriptures just cited, Rome still considers Origen to be a Greek Father of the Church in spite of the strong belief that he castrated himself.It would also look blatantly hypocritical since castration is an ancient and internationally recognized aid to sexual purity, a clearly stated goal of Catholic holiness.Nonetheless, this explains--at least in part--the mixed attitudes and apparent contradictons of former Italian and Byzantine Christians concerning their castrated male singers.Rome and other societies have been aware of this for centuries, yet the debate that arose with the European castrato rages on in various forms throughout the Western world.This general ban would not only directly contradict a highly rational interpretation of Wisdom 3:14, 15; Isaiah 56:4, 5; Acts 8:26-40; and the teachings of Christ found in Matthew 5:29, 30; 18:1-9; 19:12 and Mark 9:42-48, it would make Rome look ridiculously hypocritical.This widespread confusion surrounding the ancient canonical ban against voluntary clerical castration that accompanied the rise of the castrato in Europe and continues to this day could even be considered dangerous since castration--voluntary and involuntary--is to date the most effective therapy known in treating various paraphilias, including the murderous obsession with pre-puberty children.Those who wish to portray Rome as violating its own teachings regarding castration clearly need to cite their sources for the alleged prohibition