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	Abuse of Children Pervasive, Not Just a Catholic Problem Des Moines Register May 20, 2011 http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20110520/OPINION01/105200347/?odyssey=nav|head In 2002, U.S. Catholic bishops asked John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York to do two in-depth studies of the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy. The first study, completed in 2004, was on the nature and scope of the problem. The second, on its causes and context, was issued Wednesday. Nothing can be said to justify the abuse of minors by priests or any attempts to cover them up. And again I profess my commitment, with my fellow bishops, to do all in my power to prevent such conduct by the clergy or any church employee. The church cares about children and wants to protect them. As for the study, I believe it yields some interesting insights into possible causes and contexts of the abuse. Many myths are disspelled Let's start with what the study did not find: - That a vast majority of Catholic clergy was involved, and all should be suspect. In fact, 4 percent of American priests have abused minors. It's fair to say that never have so few caused so much harm. - That celibacy and/or homosexuality are among the causes. In fact, no evidence exists to substantiate those theories. Celibacy has been a constant in the western Catholic Church since the 11th century and can't account for the rise of abuse from the 1960s to 1980s. And while it's true that most victims of clergy abuse are male, the study shows that abuse is a "crime of opportunity" and in that era clerics had more opportunity to be with boys, who were often altar boys. - That child abuse is a problem unique to the Catholic Church and Catholic clergy. Unfortunately, child abuse is pervasive in American society and occurs wherever adults are in mentoring relationships with children. In fact, no other institution has done such a thorough investigation of the sexual abuse of children. And no evidence exists to show that priests abuse at higher rates than men in the general population or in other organizations. Of course, we expect more of priests. - That the abuse continues unabated and little has been done to stop it. In fact, the church has taken unprecedented measures. Ninety-four percent of abuse incidents reported to the church from 1950 through 2009 occurred before 1990, most before 1984. In 2010, only seven credible accusations were made against priests in diocesan ministry in the United States. Factors behind the abuse Now to what the study did find, starting with the conclusion that there is no single cause for the number of priests who abused minors. As with most societal aberrations, the study says, the abuse crisis must be placed in context. - The 1960s and 1970s were characterized by a societal disregard for restrictive norms, such as those against drug abuse and pre-marital sex. That was combined with a lack of accountability and reporting of abuse, a lack of understanding about the harm to a minor, and a lack of realistic prospects for a "cure" of abusers. - The study also found inadequate seminary preparation for a life of celibacy. The vulnerabilities of perpetrators, combined with stresses and opportunities, raised the risk of abuse. Those vulnerabilities included isolation, loneliness, insecurity, poor social skills, lack of identity, confusion over sexual identity, psychological immaturity, a history of sexual abuse, poor relationships with their parents when they were young, and alcohol abuse. - The response of most bishops to reports of sexual abuse by priests before 1985 differed greatly from the response in recent years. Then, over 80 percent of reports to bishops occurred within a year of the incident and the most common response was to help the priest-offender. In the mid-1980s the bishops began to realize that clergy sexual misbehavior was unlikely to be "curable," or could be remedied by prayer or spiritual direction. Church acting on many fronts The church, including the Des Moines Diocese, is doing all it can to prevent clergy child abuse. Since 2002, it has maintained a zero-tolerance policy. It reports all credible cases to civil authorities, internally investigates them and presents them to a local review board of mostly laypersons. Clergy who admit to such acts or are found guilty of them are permanently removed from the ministry. Candidates for the seminary are more thoroughly screened and their training includes child-protection education. What's more, all church workers, including priests, deacons and volunteers, must take child-protection training. With few exceptions, all dioceses are audited for conformity each year by an independent and secular auditing firm. Nearly 11,000 people have taken the training in the Diocese of Des Moines.
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