Taking it all in: John Jay report offers us more than a simple explanation for sex abuse
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Comments (4)
Some non-Catholic blogs and news outlets have all really latched onto commentary (first offered by the Times, perhaps a reason the U.S. Bishops should have also pre-released the report to Catholic media) that the John Jay report (not “the Catholic Church,” but a law school commissioned to do a 5-year study on the sex abuse crisis in the Catholic Church) blames the liberalization of culture in the 1960s and 70s for a rise in the number of reported sex abuse cases that took place during that time period.
Several of us here at U.S. Catholic are not convinced by this supposed cause of sex abuse during that time period and agree with criticisms against this analysis. But if we were, we also know it would do a great disservice to readers to latch onto this single reported finding. As Diane Knight, National Review Board Chair for the USCCB, said on last night’s Politics Tonight on Chicago’s CLTV, “It is a great oversimplification to suggest that the sexual revolution was the cause of this. What the study really says is that there are multiple factors...” (The program went so far as to poll viewers whether they agree with the report's findings, which had been summarized as blaming the sexual reolution of the 60s. Nevermind that the report is 300 pages and had been released mere hours before Politics Tonight aired. It's my job to read the report, and even nearly 24 hours after its release, I still haven't read the entire thing.)
Managing Editor Bryan Cones appeared on that same program and pointed out that perhaps what the study tells us is that something was wrong with seminary formation that produced priests active in 60s and 70s, rather than the general culture of that time period. As seminary formation improved in the 70s and 80s, we see a decline in the number of abuse cases reported. Likewise, the arguments that homosexuality and celibacy are causes of sexual abuse have been found simply untrue.
There are several great commentaries from religious media on the report that anyone calling herself a journalist and covering sex abuse should read (the list will be updated as more commentary is published):
Report spreads blame for Catholic sex abuse, by Religion News Service’s David Gibson
On Not Blaming Homosexual Priests, by America’s Jim Martin
Causes and contexts report: Initial thoughts, by U.S. Catholic’s Bryan Cones
Stranger on a train, by America’s Kevin Clarke
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Lies and deceit from the corrupt
By Anonymous (not verified) on Friday, May 20, 2011" The designation is unfair. Fewer than 5% of abusive priests could be classed as paedophiles because most of their victims were between ages 11 and 14."
The excuses are just...wow. The modern Catholic church is among the most vile and disgusting organizations this world knows, and the excuses of its supporters have long since worn thin.
Are you kidding?
By clergyvictim (not verified) on Thursday, May 19, 2011The numbers are skewed by the bishops! Psychologists use 13 as the beginning of puberty -- the report says 10 years. A LOT of victims fell in the 10-13 group -- using the 10 year the numbers all show a lower percentage of pedophile priests.
Who trusts the bishops to give ACCURATE, HONEST figures? Case in point, Philadelphia! We were told "No priests with accusations against them on active ministry" - then in February a grand jury discovers 37! Bishops tell us that 4% of priests were abusers -- the actual number counted by www.bishopaccountability.org is closer to 10%!
As for blaming society and "the 60's" - I was raped in 1970 by a priest ordained in the early 1950's -- certainly his moral ethics were established in the 40's and 50's. His history of abuse runs from the 50's until 2 months before his death in 2006 at the age of 82! After my rape I reported to my supervisor - another priest in the parish. This was 1970. Nothing happened because he was diagnosed in '57 with a psycho-pathological personality and was STILL playing with mentally ill teen aged girls. He, too, was ordained in the early 50's. By the time the 60's rolled around these two priests were WELL into their 40's - and at that time considered "old" and not part of the "current age."
As for the bishops' honesty in numbers - when I brought my case to Boston I was told "You are the only one" - there were no other accusations against my perp. I got hold of the investigation and found 3 letters dating back to the 90's accusing him of sexual abuse. If the bishop (cardinal) can lie to me as a priest -- how much easier to lie to a lay person?
The Hierarchy (all the way to Rome) needs to come clean, be honest, transparent etc. LIST THE NAMES of all perpetrators who have been credibly accused. They cannot be taken to court because of the statutes of limitations. They are still just as dangerous and society in general needs to know about them.
I agree, clergy victim, with
By Anonymous (not verified) on Saturday, May 21, 2011I agree, clergy victim, with your solution.
"The Hierarchy (all the way to Rome) needs to come clean, be honest, transparent etc. LIST THE NAMES of all perpetrators who have been credibly accused. They cannot be taken to court because of the statutes of limitations. They are still just as dangerous and society in general needs to know about them."
I think it is viable. I think it will go far in showing two things:
1) The extent of the abuse, as in how many priests and how many victims.
2) The extent the Catholic Church wishes to go to expunge itself of this problem. Granted, sexual abuse will never go away completely, in society nor in the church, but publication of names would show that the Church will no longer protect a priest who sexually abuses children.
Being a parent today is not easy. Making decisions as to whom you wish to trust with the care of your child when you have to work, is very hard. I remember in the 1980s when the day care child abuse scandals broke. Parents became reticent about where to place their pre-schoolers for child care. Every time it is reported that a teacher or a coach molested a child, parents wonder whom can they trust to educate their children. More and more opt for homeschooling in order to protect their children. But the highest rate of abuse is found within the family. Most families have an Uncle Charlie or an Uncle Bill whom the whole family knows can not be trusted.
The Catholic Church has to expose its Uncle Charles and Uncle Bills so that the whole family of Catholics will know who can not be trusted.
Study is a smoke screen, causes are corruption
By ex Catholic (not verified) on Thursday, May 19, 2011The problem is that too many in the Catholic leadership were/are hiding, shielding and secretly moving abusive priests. It is impossible to suss out the true extent of the problem, and that renders this study meaningless.
Assertions that the church does not currently have a big problem is self serving misdirection as events this March in Philidelphia clearly demonstrated.
The vast majority of Catholics are good holy people, but their fatal mistake is in putting up with the current environment in the church. How many raped children is it going to take for lay deniers to get off of your fat....???? And how long is that going to take?
The real problem goes much deeper than the priests.
Offending priests will be a problem UNTIL bishops, cardinals and anyone in the leadership who obstructs investigations and shields and hides facts or offenders are prosecuted.
The leadership have demonstrated they deserve absolutely no special privilege. The days of the vatican, cardinals and bishops handing out cherry picked internal non-information must come to an end.
Therefore anyone in leadership found to be obstructing abuse investigations in any way needs to be stood before a court and subject to the harshest possible penality, a class 2 felony at least.
The time for games is over, this patheticly flawed self serving study makes that perfectly clear. This study is an insult.
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