UNITED STATES
A Sound of Sheer Silence
Michael Boyle
Summing up what was included in the last three posts, I would say that the Roman Catholic clerical sex abuse crisis was caused by:
1. a completely closed and insular clerical culture
2. which prioritized its own autonomy from judgment by non-clerical institutions, and
3. which developed a culture of “don’t ask, don’t tell” with regard to sexual indiscretions
4. formed in light of its own internal struggles around the fact that a majority of its members were closeted gay men, and
5. which was also struggling with shrinking numbers, and thus
6. was incentivized toward doing whatever possible to keep priests in the fold and on duty
7. while lacking robust tools to recognize the true harm and danger of the sexual abuse of children.
In light of this diagnosis, what can be done to rectify it? One thing that will certainly not rectify it is creating a culture of paranoia around homosexuality inside the priesthood. And yet, that seems to be what has happened, and in many respects may be one of the few substantive changes that occurred since the first wave of revelations in the U.S. in 2001-2003. Bill Lindsey points to the infamous “Halloween document” issued in 1986 by then-Cardinal Ratzinger and the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith as a turning point on LGBT issues, and I trust Bill’s insight as he was “on the ground” at that time in a way I was certainly not. I can say, however, that the 1986 document was received and interpreted inside the clerical world as a prohibition on being “out,” at least in terms of outside of the clerical sphere. In other words, it’s fine to be gay so long as you don’t public say so, because by publicly admitting that you are gay you are embracing a “gay identity” or something.
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