Why Does the Catholic Church Keep Failing on Sexual Abuse?

[trotsky]

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/02/sean-omalley-pope-francis-catholic-church-sex-abuse/582658/

This article is a few weeks old but still a good read, with lots of pertinent info.

...Problems with accountability are rooted in the structure of the Church itself. Dioceses, or local areas of governance, are like fiefdoms: Each one is organized in a slightly different way, with little centralized oversight above the level of the bishops or archbishop assigned to that region. Confusingly, many dioceses are also full of semiautonomous groups: Members of religious orders, for example, report not to bishops but to the heads of their organizations.

All of this exacerbates mistrust and confusion around the issue of clergy sexual abuse, because different dioceses and orders have all chosen to handle allegations in different ways. Some, such as the Archdiocese of Boston, have agreed to engage and potentially settle with any alleged victim, even if the legal statute of limitations on the abuse has long passed. Others, such as the Archdiocese of New York, spent years lobbying aggressively against state legislation to extend the statute of limitations on child-sexual-abuse claims, which passed in late January.

Some dioceses and orders have also been hesitant to do a public, historical reckoning, making wildly different choices about disclosing past crimes committed by priests. To this day, many still haven’t released a comprehensive list of credibly accused priests or other leaders who served in their institutions; there’s no consensus within the Church on how to balance justice for survivors with the rights of the accused. “I, for one, don’t exactly see why we should, because the names are already out there,” Timothy Dolan, the cardinal of New York, told The New York Times last fall.

You might encounter individuals, even right here on DU, who look to minimize the RCC abuse scandal by trying to reframe it as overall child sexual abuse, which happens in nearly every group of people in the world unfortunately. They may even demand "statistics" to prove it's worse in the Catholic church. Not only is that not the issue (it's the scope and structure of the scandal, not just that countless acts of abuse happened), but here's a little snip showing exactly why someone who is attempting that ploy is doing it:

But somehow, in terms of both technical reforms and moral reckoning, this issue remains unresolved. Nearly two decades after the Boston revelations, names of offenders and instances of abuse are still regularly being made public. It’s difficult to even know how many cases are still pending in the canon-law system, because the Vatican office in charge of overseeing sexual-abuse charges does not release those statistics. Some cases are known but haven’t been publicly acknowledged by the Church: Its disaggregated structure has enabled unevenness in how bishops address and publicize historical allegations of abuse. And a few Catholic leaders appear to have ignored or mishandled allegations, keeping accused clergy in ministry despite clear Church guidelines against that practice. Each time new revelations emerge, more survivors come forward: After a recent grand-jury report on the abuse was released in Pennsylvania, hundreds of people flooded a state clergy-abuse hotline with calls.

The public will never get to know the full extent of the RCC abuse scandal, because an integral part of the scandal itself is keeping hidden the statistics showing just how bad it is.

Don't waste your time with such dishonest individuals. They only look to defend the church instead of pursue justice for its victims. They'll make demands, equivocate, reframe the question, or even outright lie to accomplish their goals. They are part of the problem, not part of the solution.

[Hassler]

1. Clericalism--the warped thinking that the clergy are better than laity. That celibacy is a gift

rather than a choice. Latest evidence: Cardinal McCarrick's punishment was to be stripped of his priesthood. In other words, now he's just another ordinary Catholic.

[trotsky]

3. That's exactly right.

It's a unique feature to the RCC that has contributed to the severity of their scandal.

[MineralMan]

2. It's obvious from the numbers in Pennsylvania and

other states that the problem is larger than anyone thought before. Comparisons with other organizations are irrelevant. the Boy Scouts of America had a big problem like this. They have changed a great deal in their system to prevent potential abusers from becoming adult leaders and are doing specific training of their youth membership to help them understand and avoid the issue. They have done things to fix the problem.

The Roman Catholic Church is just saying things about their problem, and doing little to change the environment that caused the problem within its leadership. In the meantime, Archdioceses like the one here in Minneapolis St. Paul filed bankruptcy to limit the amount they would have to pay victims. Similar bankruptcies to limit financial responsibility have occurred elsewhere. The Pope, the ultimate leader of the global RCC, speaks emphatically about the problem, but does nothing to materially change the organization and to try to prevent it from continuing or recurring.

Comparisons with other organizations do not in any way mitigate the problem with the RCC. Not in any way. Calls for such comparisons from outside of the church are worthless, since accurate numbers are not available from the organizations who violate children in this way. They remain hidden, and may be far worse than what has been publicly admitted.

Any organization with a child sexual abuse issue within its leadership is culpable, on its own, without resorting to comparisons. It is each organization that is responsible for its own actions. The Roman Catholic Church is not the Boy Scouts of America, although it does sponsor BSA troops. The RCC is not the SBC, although both have a child sexual abuse problem.

The answer must be found in each individual organization, which must also find solutions that work within its organization. Comparisons do not matter. Children matter. Sexually abused children matter. There are no excuses, and no amount of "whataboutism" will resolve the problem.

There is no punting in this game. Every play matters and the goal remains the same. Eliminate child sexual abuse by adults in every organization - ONE AT A TIME. Each organization is equally responsible for the children in its charge. Period.

[The Genealogist]

4. It is a very conservstove, powerful institution

The RCC doesn't like change, and it prefers change to be slow, if it is done at all. It is a powerful institution, accustomed to privilege. Meanwhile the rest of us want them to correct this disgusting problem immediately.

[trotsky]

5. Other organizations have shown that action can be quick, decisive, and effective.

Yet the RCC resists. It's really upsetting.

[The Genealogist]

6. I too find it upsetting

I personally think it is flat out disgusting. Moral people do not sexually abuse children, nor do moral people cover up that abuse. Moral people would say NOT ONE MORE CHILD, they wouldn't move a priest to another place to continue the bad behavior. There is no excuse for this. None.

[marylandblue]

14. When these stories first came out in 1980s, the Boy Scouts

put in place a model policy. Now every school district has a policy. The RCC has been dragging its feet for 40 years.

[Lordquinton]

7. Good to read that they did change the statute

A former member argued against it, on some legal grounds. Gave the usual "Do you want X else to happen?" and like, never actually provided an argument against it.

[snowybirdie]

8. My theory

is the priesthood has been attracting men who already have sexual hangups of some kind for many years. They can't resolve these issues practically because they don't have normal experiences with sex. A married priesthood, including women, could be the answer.

[Voltaire2]

10. Its a theory, however the Southern Baptists appear to have a similar problem

And they don't have a celibate priesthood.

They are however an authoritarian hierarchical religious organization.

Also Jehovah's Witnesses have an ongoing abuse/cover-up problem, and again they do not have a celibacy requirement.

[hvn_nbr_2]

12. An organization that is obsessed with sex attracts leaders with sexual obsessions.

[SharonAnn]

9. Because they're trying to preserve a patriarchy. It all flows from that.

[Karadeniz]

11. Christianity didn't start as a ceremonial, patriarchal, organized hierarchy. A community

would be composed of the children (beginners) who demonstrated their respect and desire to learn the group's values (and live by those standards) by having a baptism by water as adults capable of making that decision. This would be step 1 towards embarking upon the Way.Some in the group would have grown spiritually over the years and be able to offer support between visits from the "mature" ones. (Paul's baby food v. meat.)(The parable of the master who gives his servants money to increase.) There was probably a special initiation/spiritual experience to be considered the creme of the select. (Lazarus, the naked youth at gethsemane. Jesus insisted Lazarus wasn't dead.)
Groups were small and simple. In some, the drawing of stones determined who would give the "sermon"; no professional was needed. I don't know if the group contributed comments, but why not? I like the Quaker discussion group way of conducting meetings.
Those in positions of influence would have no delusions about the consequences of straying. When Jesus describes the Law, there is no forgiveness, no reward for faith. You don't get out of prison until you pay every cent of what you owe. They didn't expect all beginners to finish the course. (The parable of the sower, seeds, soils.) I'm sure it wasn't a perfect way of teaching Truth, but it seems to have worked better than how things evolved...That's what happens when the children run things.

[uriel1972]

13. I think it's because they don't want to succeed... nt