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	The Divine Act of Forgiveness Has Cloaked Decades of Abuse Sydney Morning Herald May 24, 2010 http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/the-divine-act-of-forgiveness-has-cloaked-decades-of-abuse-20100523-w3w1.html Victims of the clergy must be allowed to find peace by telling their stories. More than a decade after they first served to shock, scandals about the mismanagement of child sexual abuse by clergy continue unabated to enter the public domain. Theories and allegations abound on the causes of such scandals. Everything from institutional structures to maladaptive sexuality have been blamed for the cover-ups that have served to compound the damage done to victims, facilitated further victimisation and resulted in increased public distrust of churches, in particular the Roman Catholic Church. Seeking to understand something of the management of child sexual abuse by senior religious figures both ordained and lay, I interviewed 15 church leaders from Queensland, NSW and the ACT who have been identified as pro-active in seeking positive management strategies to address child protection within churches. These interviews formed a significant component of my doctorate of philosophy (criminology) research. Throughout, one issue continued to emerge as pivotal in the management of child sexual abuse that is itself central to the ethos of Christianity. This issue has pervaded Christian thought since the time of Christ himself and is central to the gospel familiar to church followers. It is forgiveness - the act of forgiveness of sin and of being forgiven for sinning. It is forgiveness that is increasingly being recognised as a complex and powerful element in addressing child sexual abuse by church leaders. Research participants in my project were often quick to acknowledge that forgiveness was preached to victims of child sexual abuse in ways that kept them silent. This had enabled perpetrators to walk away to the next church and the next set of victims. The silencing of victims was of particular concern to this group of church leaders who sought to place victims back at the centre of the church's concerns in managing child sexual abuse. There was significant concern that the adage of "forgive and forget" not be imposed on victims. The imposition of this model of forgiveness was seen as an abuse of grace and a means of suppressing the stories of victims - stories that churches needed to hear. While recognising that the Christian concept of forgiveness has been misused as a form of spiritual abuse and manipulation, these leaders were not prepared to abandon it. They were concerned that victims should be able to participate in the church's recognition of the truth about their abuse and the role of forgiveness within it. In an alternative model of forgiveness offered by the participants of this project, the liberty, empowerment and emotional well-being of victims was seen to be the central concern of forgiveness. Such models accepted that forgiveness was a very sensitive journey that must originate from the victim, and not be demanded of them under the guise of spiritual direction. Rather, this model of forgiveness allowed victims to remember their abuse and infused this remembering with a call for justice. It placed control of their lives back in the hands of victims. Forgiveness was seen as a means to create a future that was free from the influence of the perpetrator, and marked by healing. Although the focus was always on the needs of the victim, these participants were thoughtful about their own role as pastors. They were often humble enough to state that they did not hold all of the answers, that it was important that their role and preaching be open to challenge and that they be accountable for the influence they held in their congregations and the lives of individuals. This openness and transparency was central to their understanding of a need for the church to circumvent structures that removed church leaders from the people they were responsible for guiding and set them apart as individuals. Ultimately, the questions of forgiveness and the role of church leaders in addressing child sexual abuse in church institutions come down to questions of identity, such as, how are victims encouraged to find healthy, strong and positive identities? Further, how can church leaders understand their own identity in relationship with others, with God and with a gospel for which forgiveness is central? The answer is that the church needs to enter a new era. This will see a focus on justice for both victims and perpetrators but not at the cost of secrecy, denial and blame. Rather, justice will be sought through accountability to institutions outside of the church, such as criminal justice institutions, and through hearing the stories of victims. Where church leaders have been favoured to the detriment of victims, there is now a need to create forums to hear the voices of victims, embrace and grieve with them and allow them to find the comfort that is promised by the Jesus who said it was far better to tie a millstone around your neck and cast yourself into the sea than to hurt one of his little ones. For churches, this includes continuing to recognise that the hurt has been caused not only in the incidence of child sexual abuse but in its management.
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