By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journallist
A long-awaited report on the underlying causes of the sexual abuse of minors by priests found the chief culprit to be the stress of the social and sexual turmoil of the 1960’s and 70’s coupled with inadequate preparation and monitoring of priests that led to the outbreak of abuse that took place primarily during the 1960’s and 70’s.
CNS is reporting that the study, entitled “The Causes and Context of Sexual ABuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010” was conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Its intent was to determine the causes of the abuse and to recommend ways to prevent it in the future.
The report, which was released on May 18, said there was “no single identifiable ’cause’ of sexually abusive behavior toward minors” and encouraged steps to deny abusers “the opportunity to abuse” to prevent further abuse.
“The information provided in the Causes and Context study closely mirrors our own experience here in the Archdiocese of New York,” said New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“The report makes clear that the vast majority of sexual abuse occurred during the 1960’s through 1980’s, even as it examines the various conditions that led to this abuse. It also concludes that the incidence of sexual abuse of minors has declined sharply in the Catholic Church since 1985.”
He went on to say that the study found no single cause that led to the sexual abuse crisis.
“Neither celibacy, as some have suggested, nor homosexuality, as others have claimed, have been found to be a reason why a person would engage in sexual abuse of a minor. Instead, the Causes and Context report indicates that various vulnerabilities in an individual priest, in combination with situational stresses and opportunities, raise the risk that a priest might abuse.”
The report found “certain vulnerabilities” in the priests who abused, such as difficulty interrelating with adults or having been abused as children. Times of high stress in the life of a priest, such as when they move to another parish or become a pastor, can trigger abuse. Besides situational stressors, high alcohol consumption during these times can also be a factor.
However, the study found that “the peak of the crisis has passed,” and that abuse cases have decreased substantially.
The report also addressed several misperceptions about the sexual abuse of minors by priests:
— Priestly celibacy does not explain this problem. “Constant in the Catholic Church since the 11th century,” celibacy cannot “account for the rise and subsequent decline in abuse cases from the 1960s through the 1980s.”
— Despite “widespread speculation,” priests with a homosexual identity “were not significantly more likely to abuse minors” than heterosexual priests. Sexual “identity” should be differentiated from “behavior.” A possible reason so many male minors were abused is that priests had greater access to them.
— Less than five percent of priests with abuse allegations exhibited behavior consistent with pedophilia. Few victims were prepubescent children.
In addition, it found that priest-abusers represent only a small percentage of all priests. The researchers judged that it was “neither possible nor desirable to implement extensive restrictions on the mentoring and nurturing relationships between minors and priests, given that most priests have not sexually abused minors and are not likely to do so.”
No other institution has undertaken a public study of sexual abuse as extensive as this one and the authors say its findings could be used by any institution wanting to prevent the abuse of minors.
This is because the sexual abuse of minors is a “long-term societal problem” and one that is “likely to persist, particularly in organizations that nurture and mentor adolescents.”
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