GUEST COLUMN: Sexual abuse not worse in Catholic Church

By Stephen May
Wicked Local Easton
June 22, 2014

http://easton.wickedlocal.com/article/20140622/NEWS/140629847

Holy Cross Catholic Church, 225 Purchase Street, South Easton.

Sexual abuse of minors continues to be a grave problem in the United States, as well as the rest of the world. One serious misperception perpetrated by the media is that Catholic priests are among the most serious offenders. Many of the misinformed have come to believe that Church policies such as celibacy and retaining a predominantly male authority structure are to blame for this situation. Statistically speaking, this is far from the truth. The purpose of this article is not to excuse the actions of any priest who has committed such an offence (there is no excuse), but rather to juxtapose the crisis within the priesthood to the bigger problem of sexual abuse of minors within the public as a whole.

In its 2010 report on Child Maltreatment, the United States Department of Health and Human Services stated that there were 712,506 reported cases of sexual abuse against minors. This is equivalent to 9.8 percent of the number of Americans under the age of 18. Of these cases, 578,768 involved one or both of the child’s parents (81.3 percent). The majority of the other cases involved foster parents or other relatives close to the child.

According to the United States Department of Education in 2011, "nearly 9.6 percent of [pre-K through 12th grade] students are targets of educator sexual misconduct sometime during their school career."

These are chilling statistics, clearly indicating that there is a very serious problem in the United States regarding the protection of children from their most trusted adult companions.

In comparison, Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) has reported that in 2010, "there were 8 accusations of sexual abuse by a Catholic priest involving a minor" in the United States. While there can be no excuse for the behavior of these priests, it does amount to only 0.001 percent of the overall number of cases. For every abusive priest that year, there were 72,346 abusive parents.

While missing the proverbial 800-pound gorilla in the room, the media has correctly pointed out that the majority of sexual abuse cases involving priests were actually committed during the 1970s, the decade when accounts of sexual abuse by adults from all walks of life first became widely reported.

Anyone with access to minors: parents, teachers, coaches, and religious of all faiths were indicted. Yet in the modern era, priests seem to be singled out by the media, with the sweeping simplicity of blaming their actions on celibacy or its exclusion of women from ordained ministry, situations that do not pertain to the majority of sex abusers.

Since the mid-1980s, insurance companies have regularly offered sexual misconduct coverage as a rider on liability insurance offered to religious and other organizations. Industry sponsored studies indicate that the rates offered to Catholic churches are not different than those offered to any other religious denomination, indicating that the insurance industry understands that Catholic priests do not present any higher of a risk than leaders of any other congregation, most of which do not enforce celibacy of their clergy or accept only men.

Since 2002, the Catholic Church has not hesitated to re-invigorate its deep commitment to creating a safe environment within the Church for children and youth. Although Catholic religious committed only a very small number of the overall offences of sexual abuse against minors, even during the years when the majority of abuses took place, the media has autonomously chosen to place the spotlight on the Church. However, more than any other modern organization, the Church has responded by becoming a beacon of light in an otherwise dark world that continues to abuse those least able to defend themselves.

The Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People is a comprehensive set of procedures established by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops for addressing allegations of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy, and includes guidelines for reconciliation, healing, accountability, and prevention of future acts of abuse. The Charter directs action in all the following matters:

Creating a safe environment for children and young people; Healing and reconciliation of victims and survivors; Making prompt and effective response to allegations; Cooperating with civil authorities; Disciplining offenders; and Providing for means of accountability for the future to ensure the problem continues to be effectively dealt with throughout the Church.

Many Americans today live with the misperception that the Catholic Church is still part of the problem of sex abuse against minors, when in actuality they are taking a leadership position, and becoming a role model, in ensuring that children everywhere are safe from those who would harm them.

For more information on the plan the Catholic Church has for protecting children from sexual abuse, please go to http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/child-and-youth-protection/charter.cfm.

Stephen May is the youth minister at Holy Cross Church in Easton, where he has been a parishioner for more than 20 years. Mr. May also works as a chaplain for Overlook Hospice.