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	Misconceptions Surround Report on Church Sex Abuse By Christian R. González The American-Statesman July 9, 2011 http://www.statesman.com/opinion/insight/misconceptions-surround-report-on-church-sex-abuse-1595455.html On May 18, researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York released the report titled "The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010." The report finds, among other things, that just as in society at large, there was no single cause or predictor of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy. In 2002, the bishops of the United States adopted the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which standardized policies and procedures for bishops and dioceses to respond to reports of abuse. Since then, the Church has maintained a zero-tolerance policy for priests with credible accusations against them. Those priests are to be permanently removed from active ministry. The Charter called for two reports to be compiled and published: The first was "The Nature and Scope of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests and Deacons in the United States 1950-2002," which was published in 2004; the second was the May 18 "Causes and Context" report. Both are available in their entirety at www.usccb.org. The "Nature and Scope" report found that the total number of accused clergy was 4,392 from 1950 to 2002; that's 4 percent of all priests who served in the United States during that time. It also found that abuse occurred in all but seven of the 195 dioceses and eparchies in the United States that participated in the study. The report also found that 75 percent of the incidents of abuse occurred between 1960 and 1984. Though the data was accumulated and reported aggregately, the information was collected in a way that considered each allegation separately. A number of misconceptions have been stated about the independently produced "Causes and Context" report. We will address those here: • The researchers consulted with psychologists, sociologists of religion, statisticians and theologians, and undertook extensive data collection for nearly four years from bishops, priests, victim assistance coordinators, victim advocates, survivors, clinicians, seminaries, and historical and court documents. • Some people have incorrectly claimed the report places the blame of clergy sexual abuse on the social deviance of the 1960s and 1970s. Anyone who takes the time to read the full report will immediately see that this is not true. The report states clearly that there was no single cause for the abuse. • Other contributing causes include the lack of reporting guidelines, inadequate seminary training on how to live a life of chaste celibacy, and a lack of understanding of the harm of sexual abuse to a minor. • Before 2002, many bishops who learned of abuse cases addressed them by removing the priest and sending him for psychological treatment. After they were found to be "rehabilitated" based on the professional treatment standards at the time, the priests were returned to ministry. We now know that rehabilitation in these cases is not possible. • Some have also complained about the cost of the "Causes and Context" report as taking away from the poor. The cost of the report was more than $1.8 million, which alone is an indication of its breadth and seriousness. Of the total cost of the report, $918,000 came from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and the rest came from grants, organizations and individuals. Although this money could have been used to serve the poor and disenfranchised, it was not taken from the programs that help the poor. Catholic Charities USA, and its member agencies, reported spending hundreds of millions of dollars in 2009 to assist 9 million people; the same goes for 2008, when 8 million people were assisted. • The "Causes and Context" report also recognizes that many U.S. bishops began to better understand the issues of abuse and respond to the problem as early as 1985, much earlier than other institutions such as public schools or other governmental entities. However, the report finds that there was no standard policy among U.S. Catholic dioceses on how to handle and report abuse cases. The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People gave us such a policy, and we implemented it. • Some have also incorrectly claimed that bishops influenced the report by helping fund the study. The principal investigator and co-author of the report is a professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at John Jay College and serves as the college's associate provost and interim dean of research and strategic partnerships. She is not Catholic and has not historically or presently had any ties to the Catholic Church. • Many in the church, including our present and former bishops in Austin, have apologized repeatedly for the actions of those priests who abused others. The Catholic Church has learned that the best way to protect children is to create a safe environment where appropriate boundaries are maintained. Archbishop Gregory Aymond, the previous bishop of Austin, played an instrumental role in the development of the current system, which is designed to help prevent abuse. Under his leadership, the Diocese of Austin implemented its safe environment program before the charter was adopted. Many of the programs in place today around the world are modeled on the program developed for Austin. Since 2001, more than 115 volunteers have been trained as facilitators for our Ethics and Integrity in Ministry and Called to Protect for Youth workshops. These facilitators have given training to more than 50,000 people on how to be aware of the signs of abuse and how to report it. Everyone, whether clergy or layperson, who works in ministry with children or vulnerable adults is obliged to undergo a background check and complete Ethics and Integrity in Ministry education. Parishes and Catholic schools have also educated 70,000 students about boundaries and abuse prevention skills using Called to Protect for Children and Called to Protect for Youth workshops. The Diocese of Austin has exercised its authority to bar from ministry individuals who are known or reasonably believed to present a threat to children and vulnerable adults. Education and prevention are the best deterrents of sexual abuse. In the almost 10 years of doing this work in Central Texas, that has been proved. Children who have been educated have come forward and disclosed inappropriate situations. The diocese's policies require that reports of abuse involving children or vulnerable adults, including suspicions of abuse, be made to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. We all bear the responsibility of protecting children from any kind of abuse. We all must keep a watchful eye on the most vulnerable among us. Bishop Joe Vásquez, the current bishop of Austin, is committed to the Ethics and Integrity in Ministry program and to the protection of children. He prays for those who have been hurt by abusers. In April he celebrated a Mass of Healing at St. Mary Cathedral in downtown Austin for those who have been harmed by abuse. Vásquez said: "To anyone who has been abused by someone affiliated with the Catholic Church, we apologize. Any words we could offer would be insufficient to heal your wounds. We cannot change the past, but know this: We work diligently to ensure that each of our parishes and schools is a safe place for minors and vulnerable adults." We encourage anyone who has been abused in a church setting within the Diocese of Austin to come forward and make a report. You will be treated with the utmost dignity and respect. Christian R. González has served as director of communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Austin since 2007. Reporting abuse to the diocese To report abuse in church setting in the Diocese of Austin, call (512) 949-2400 and ask for the Office of Ethics and Integrity in Ministry or the Vicar General's Office. You can also use the Notice of Concern form posted at www.austindiocese.org/report.doc.
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