Sex abuse in church, beyond

Sue Archibald, president of The Linkup, a group for survivors of clergy abuse of all denominations, says that in many Protestant denominations "the more common problem is sexual misconduct with adult congregants rather than child abuse."

Child abuse cases tend to get handled more swiftly in Protestant churches, where the employment of a minister often rests with a local congregation rather than a hierarchy.

Still, in some denominations, there is a tendency "to minimize the problem and a desire to push it under the rug," Ms. Miller says. "Most of the survivors are women and children, and what it comes down to is the status of women and children within the denominations."

In the Catholic case, however, 81 percent of the abuse victims were male and 86 percent were between the ages of 11 and 17, according to the report, prepared by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice using data supplied by dioceses. Some groups challenged the statistics because they were based on self-reporting by bishops, rather than material from plaintiff attorneys, for example.

But survivor groups are less concerned with the data and more with what happens next. The Linkup commended the board for its simultaneous separate report on the causes of the crisis, calling it "thorough and unvarnished."

The high-profile body of prominent Catholics had strong words for the bishops and the church's seminaries, criticizing the failure to screen candidates properly or to adequately prepare students for the celibate life. The report called for greater study of celibacy nor homosexuality, while not labeling them root causes.

More important, the report said, was the response of some bishops, in effect cooperating with evil. It identified several reasons, including the view of priests as the representatives of Christ on earth, the bishop-priest relationship of father to son, the bishops' failure to discuss the problem seriously, and putting institutional concerns above the pastoral.

While the board called for greater lay involvement, including in the process for selecting bishops, and for greater direct communication with survivors, it did not take a stand on whether bishops should resign. It is up to individual bishops what they do with the recommendations.

Bishop Wilton Gregory, head of the bishops conference, said that no priest with an allegation remained in ministry. But the names of removed priests have not been made public, and survivor groups point to a few accused priests still in their jobs.

One response many are looking for in is an effort to deal with survivors' needs.The Linkup is establishing a healing center for victims, set to open in Kentucky in April, to which 25 bishops have contributed.

In education, Shakeshaft calls for revising federal laws affecting liability and state laws for teacher credentialing. "Superintendents and principals need to ... put this on a priority list."

Page: 1 | 2