IRONDALE (AL)
National Catholic Register
February 2, 2019
By Msgr. Charles Pope
The summit on clerical sexual abuse called by the Holy Father is scheduled for Feb. 21-24. While no meeting of four days can be expected to fully resolve such a devastating scandal, a central goal must be to begin the very long process of restoring credibility to Church leaders in Rome and around the world. The needle on the credibility gauge is currently near zero. For this meeting to have a credibility of its own and to begin restoring credibility in the wider Church, a number of things must be forthrightly addressed. Let’s look at three.
(1) The summit must focus on more than the sexual abuse of minors. Unfortunately, a recent Vatican communiqué does not seem to envision this; it titles the meeting “The Protection of Minors in the Church”. While the Church should certainly speak to this issue and have clear policies protecting minors, much of the recently reported abuse has involved predation on vulnerable and/or subordinate adults. Seminarians as well as younger priests and religious have come forward in significant numbers in a kind of ecclesial version of the #MeToo movement. Unwanted sexual attention, abuse, and attempted seduction by bishops, priests, seminary faculty, religious superiors, and others in positions of authority must be addressed. There have also been numerous cases of clergy using their status to sexually seduce or abuse those in their pastoral care (for example, here and here).
In the secular world there is a growing recognition that relationships among adults are not always equal. Doctors and therapists, for example, are not on equal footing with those who seek their help, and it is unethical for them to use their status to exploit those in their care. Such clients, though adults, are often vulnerable to the sexual advances of influential professionals in their lives; a body of law is developing to protect them and others in subordinate roles (e.g., in the workplace). A similar dynamic can set up with priests and Church leaders if safeguards are not in place.\
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