I found myself alternatively fascinated and infuriated as I read the new 152 page report by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests. The report is both comprehensive and short sighted. It is both clear in its recommendations for education, oversight, and accountability yet ignores some of the very real reasons the problem of sexual abuse of children and youth by priests has been so prevalent in Catholic churches. It is nearly silent about the abusing priests' flagrant disregard for the church's teachings on sexuality and sexual behaviors, while condemning the culture of the 1960's and 1970's for these crimes against children. The extensive sections about other agencies serving youth and other denominations facing similar problems, and the concluding paragraphs that these others should take steps to prevent child sexual abuse seem to obviate at least in part what I wished would have been an urgent call for reform, lamentation, and restitution by the Catholic church.
I can't help but wonder if a single sexologist was asked to read and comment on the report before it was published. Although I was pleased to see that the writers directly address the fact that there is no evidence that gay priests are any more likely to abuse children than heterosexual priests, it was odd that they didn't call then for the Catholic Church to end its proposed ban on gay seminarians. Further, the writers (inaccurately) define pedophilia as sex with children ten and younger -- and then criticize the media for talking about "pedophile priests" when 22% of the victims -- nearly one in four! -- were these ages. Using the more generally accepted definition for pedophilia, their own data reveal that 73% of the victims were under the age of 14. These children and early adolescents were not capable of consent, regardless of the ages used.
It is both legally and morally wrong for adults to have sexual contact, behaviors, or relationships with children under the age of 18. Sexual abuse by a trusted religious leader can be especially soul scarring and devastating. I wonder if anyone will be comforted that the John Jay writers say that priests who sexually abuse children are more accurately labeled "indiscriminate offenders" than pedophiles; or that some of the priests only engaged in "minor acts of sexual touching over clothes or fondling." Both frankly make me feel sick.
The report concludes correctly that there was no single cause of sexual misconduct against children and youth found. But, right at the outset, it makes the unsupported and frankly morally troubling link that
"... the social and cultural changes in the 1960s and 1970s manifested in increased levels of deviant behavior in the general society and also among priests ... organizational, psychological, and situational factors contributed to the vulnerability of individual priests in this period of normative change."
Surely these researchers know the difference between causation and correlation that I was taught in public health school. Even more troubling is that the report's executive summary does not address that these abusing priests and their Bishops had the moral responsibility and moral agency to honor their vows, act legally and ethically, and honor the sacred trust that parents and children had placed in them. Yes, it is true that we now know more about the devastating impact of clergy misconduct than we did two decades ago, but surely they understood at that time that what they were doing violated their vows and was morally and legally wrong.
The report makes a strong case for education in "human formation" in Catholic seminaries, including how to educate and prepare priests for a lifetime of celibacy. Surely that formation must also include comprehensive sexuality education, including handling sexual attractions, maintaining appropriate sexual and professional boundaries, and understanding sexuality through the lifecycle. The Religious Institute's study, Sex in the Seminary: Preparing Ministers for Sexual Health and Justice, found that most seminarians and clergy in the United States have not been adequately prepared to deal with sexual attractions, to recognize appropriate boundaries and power dynamics, or to assure that their congregations are free of abuse, harassment, and misconduct.
Sexuality courses are largely absent from most seminary curricula, and most students at most of the nation's seminaries can graduate without studying sexual ethics or taking a single sexuality course. Fortunately this is slowly changing, as denominations like The United Methodist Church and the Unitarian Universalist Association have made training of clergy in sexuality issues a priority. It is far past time to assure that all clergy receive sexuality education as part of ministerial formation and required continuing education.
This report, despite its length, coming 11 years after it was first proposed, seems too little, too late, particularly in what reads as its overall conclusion that the bulk of this problem is now behind us. Surely, regardless of our religious affiliation, we share a common belief that sexuality is God's life-giving and life-fulfilling gift, and that we sin when this sacred gift is abused and exploited, perhaps most particularly when such abuse is committed by trusted religious leaders. It is only through required training for all seminarians and clergy, a genuine commitment to safe congregations policies, complete transparency, and accountability and consequences that we can assure that our nation's faith communities can be free of abuse, harassment, and misconduct for us all.
Follow Rev. Debra Haffner on Twitter: www.twitter.com/revdebra
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach: Sexual License of the 1960s Does Not Excuse Pedophile Priests
Thomas G. Plante, PhD, ABPP: Clergy Sex Abuse Report: Let's Rely on Science, Not Hysteria
Kim Michele Richardson: Catholic Church Reform Should Start With 'I'm Sorry'
Sister Mary Ann Walsh: Fingerprinting Grandma, Checking the Old Priest's Background
Catholic Priest Talks About Sex Abuse Report : NPR
Roman Catholic sex abuse: Report faults society for predator ...
Report reveals "causes" of Catholic sex abuse - Sexual abuse ...
Catholic sex abuse cases - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Catholic Church Sex Abuse Report: Blame Woodstock: Gothamist
Report says U.S. Catholic sex abuse “historical”, critics see ...
Report on Catholic priests' sex abuse of minors finds no single ...
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Haffner seems oddly unaware that the City University of New York, which includes John Jay, is a public institutio
As for Haffner's bland assertion that "the problem of sex abuse by priests has been so prevalent in Catholic Churches", she is willfully ignoring that the report notes that fewer than 5% of priests were abusers, and that the rate of abuse in society at large is at least equal. If she really thinks that there is less abuse in her neighborho
Actually I am quite confident that Rev. Debra Haffner is reasonably well informed about clergy sexual misconduct within the Unitarian Universali
The UU religious community has its own serious clergy sexual misconduct problems, even if the nature of UU CSM differs somewhat from Roman Catholic clergy sexual abuse. There have been cases of UU pedophile clergy and at least one UU minister has been found guilty of raping teenage Tibetan refugees who he invited to his UU parish for "a better life" in America. One recent president of the UUA had a seemingly valid clergy sexual complaint brought against him prior to being elected as UUA President. A prominent UU minister who applied to be UUA Moderator was subsequent
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Maybe the report didn't cover that because it wasn't about sin.
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" The extensive sections about other agencies serving youth and other denominati
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I agree the Church should have begun reform earlier, but I think it's also important to remember other church and institutio
Also, as I understand the report, it drew a correlatio
Nothing on female clergy or the need for gay priests or for married priests. The poor woman is hated!
The yearly reporting figures say the same thing year after year since 2004.
8% of new claims for 1985 - 1989.(5 years)
6% of new claims for 1990 - 1999. (decade)
4% of new claims for 2000 on (decade +)
With no more than about 8% of the total cases happening after 1995 when the first wave of reforms went into effect.
Yawn. Some states are catching up to New England. Other countries are New England circa 1985-95
.
I so tire of journalist
As per my previous comment the Unitarian Universali
I have a fair bit of respect for Rev. Debra Haffner but I find it unseemly (to say the least) when she, and other finger pointing Unitarian Universali
Anyone who doubts that Unitarian Universali
"Let me say this as simply and unequivoca
4 of those were 'victimles
For perspectiv
It's not that informed Catholics laugh at your one-sided suggestion
This will go on and on. Recent studies say 1 in 4 girls in society will be sexually abused before turning 18; 1 in 8 boys before turning 18; and worse, only 3% to 4% of molesters get caught. 97% are never caught in society -- as coaches, teachers, clerics (both male and female), family members, child abusers of younger kids, etc. And we're not counting the 750,000 sex offenders at large, being rehabilita
Hopefully, churches will be more vigilant, on the alert in the future and more churches will recruit John Jay people to do studies of their own respective faith communitie
There was one ex-member who used to maintain a site based on press clippings to call out UCC hyprocrisy on this issue. Despite intenal calls to compile and release such figures the UCC remains deaf, dumb and blind.
It's even been said the UCC self -insures to prevent public disclosure and settles quickly to avoid the press when two adults are involved.
I support full disclosure of all churches starting immediatel
I sense your posting is a cry for help. Is sex between married pastors and a member of the congregati