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19 May 2011

No link between homosexuality and abuse of minors by Catholic priests: US Catholic study

A wide-ranging report commissioned by bishops of the US Catholic Church says neither homosexuality nor the all-male celibate priesthood could be blamed for the sexual abuse of minors by its priests. Researchers noted that the rise in the number of gay priests from the late 1970s onward had in fact corresponded with "a decreased incidence of abuse—not an increased incidence of abuse."

The five-year study, which was commissioned by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops to provide a definitive answer to what caused the church’s sexual abuse crisis, has concluded that neither the all-male celibate priesthood nor homosexuality were to blame.

The study was unable to identify a single cause of the abuse and concluded that few of the abusive priests were paedophiles, as their victims were not all pre-pubescent. Less than 5% of the abusive priests could be defined as paedophiles because the majority of victims were aged between 11 and 14. But the finding was criticised by victims because the American Psychiatric Association defines paedophilia as an attraction to children aged 13 or younger, reports the UK Guardian. The authors said the majority of abusive priests were "generalists" – sex offenders who do not specialise in a type of victim by age or gender or other characteristics.

Initiated in 2006, the study is said to be the most authoritative analysis of the scandal in the Catholic Church in America. The New York Times reported that it was conducted by a team of researchers at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City at a cost of US$1.8 million, half of which was provided by the bishops, with additional money contributed by Catholic organisations and foundations. The National Institute of Justice, the research agency of the United States Department of Justice, supplied about US$280,000.

The report was released Wednesday by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington, but the Religion News Service published an account of the report on its Web site on Tuesday.

The report stated:

Was celibacy to blame for the abuse? Gays in the priesthood? The social revolution of the ‘60s, or the benighted seminary education of the repressive 1950s? 

The truth turns out to be far more complex, according to a copy of the report by researchers at John Jay College of Criminal Justice that was provided by a church leader who believes the findings accurately reflect the causes of the church’s sexual abuse crisis, for good and for ill.

The findings will likely unsettle both liberal and conservative critics, as well as victims’ advocates.

The 300-page report, formally called “The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010,” upends a number of popular misconceptions. While some will challenge the report’s methodology—and note that U.S. bishops paid for half the estimated $1.8 million price tag—the “Causes and Context” study is clearly a landmark in the research of child sexual abuse.

The first myth challenged by the study is that priests tend to be pedophiles. Of nearly 6,000 priests accused of abuse over the past half century (about 5 percent of the total number of priests serving during that period), less than 4 percent could be considered pedophiles, the report notes—that is, men who prey on children.

“Priest-abusers were not `pedophile priests’,” the researchers state flatly. 

Second, the researchers found no statistical evidence that gay priests were more likely than straight priests to abuse minors—a finding that undermines a favorite talking point of many conservative Catholics. The disproportionate number of adolescent male victims was about opportunity, not preference or pathology, the report states. 

What’s more, researchers note that the rise in the number of gay priests from the late 1970s onward actually corresponded with “a decreased incidence of abuse—not an increased incidence of abuse.”

Read the Religion News Service report.


Homosexual Behavior in United States Seminaries

Homosexual men entered the seminaries in noticeable numbers from the late 1970s through the 1980s. This statement is based on the direct experience and reports of seminary faculty and on many written reports by observers. It can be seen to have prompted the Letter on Priestly Formation by the Bishops of New England. What is not clear is whether the open expression of sexual identity in seminaries in this time period supports the thesis that more men were entering the seminary understanding themselves as homosexual—rather than being more likely to reveal themselves as homosexual—than in prior decades. Many ethnographic and journalistic reports by observers of Catholic seminary life in the mid-1970s and 1980s describe a situation that included much more open expression of homosexual identity, or what is called “homosexual lifestyle,” and some report homosexual behavior with adults as well. But any claim about the causal connection of the homosexual identification of late 1970s and 1980s seminarians to the likelihood of increased risk of engaging in child sexual abuse while in ministry would have to take into account the fundamental distribution of incidence. Men in the seminaries in the late 1970s and in the 1980s were members of cohorts that were identified with a decreased incidence of abuse—not an increased incidence of abuse. - Pg 38, The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010


From CNN's Belief Blog: Report on Catholic priests' sex abuse of minors finds no single cause:

The researchers found:

– Less than 5% of the priests who faced allegations were clinically diagnosed as pedophiles.

– Most priests who received treatment following allegations of abuse of a minor also reported sexual behavior with an adult.

– Researchers found no specific markers that would have been apparent across the board to disqualify candidates for the priesthood.

– Sexual orientation, specifically gayness, was not the cause of child sexual abuse by priests.

– The majority of abuse cases happened in the 1960s and 1970s and there was a sharp decline in the number of cases that began in the 1980s and continues today.

– Guidelines set up by the church to deal with the crisis when it came to light, including calling in civil authorities, were not adequately followed by most dioceses.

讀者回應

1. 2011-05-19 15:36  
Huh.. "...neither homosexuality nor the all-male celibate priesthood could be blamed or linked to sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests." ...Seriously? So they abused because of what then?
2. 2011-05-19 17:48  
It's nice to see that at least they are trying to understand what happened.

Will the finding that has concluded that neither the all-male celibate priesthood nor homosexuality were to blame be passed on to the homophobic congregations?
回應#3於於2011-05-19 20:13被作者刪除。
4. 2011-05-19 20:12  
a follow-up on the Ugandan situation might have been a more appropriate "new" article... or perhaps Fridae isn't serious about journalism involving gay issues?

Fridae posted an article on Uganda... the next day the situation in Uganda had moved on, but the outdated article stayed posted for this last weekend and then some... as its main lead for 3-4 days.

Is it about revenue? Or is this website also interested in keeping the gay community informed?

Let's wait for the article about the current situation about H.I.V. treatment... already weeks old, but cutting edge...
回應#5於於2011-08-13 17:34被作者刪除。
6. 2011-05-19 20:56  
As a gay clergyman and as a survivor of priestly abuse, I must heartily disagree with those who blame gay priests. First of all, clearly one half of the kids molested were girls. Second, the problem appears to have more to do withe pyscho-sexual development of the men preparing for the priesthood. They were not screened and trained prooerly. Many of the guys have been in seminary since 13 years old and do not have a clues to what their sexual identity is. They reach a crisis point and suddely they start to develop in weird ways. If they stopped developing as 12 year old boys when they started seminary, well thats when they start to deveop...and with drastic consequences! These are the reasons; not gay priests in particular. There are many gay priests of integrity quietly serving the Church.
7. 2011-05-19 22:46  
Interesting contributions from both caesar and stardove - thanks! For the benefit of those that seem confused with these findings, there is an established fact that most adolescent sex abuse happens by heterosexual men in family situations. This of course doesn’t mean heterosexuality or the family is to blame... it means that there are fucked up people with no sense of right and wrong in all of life’s situations.
8. 2011-05-19 22:55  
Willforyou, it's horrible what's going on in Uganda but an Asian gay website is probably not the best idea if you're looking for the latest (gay) news from Uganda. I read today it's on the agenda again after it was reportedly off last weekend. The Fridae article was updated after the HRW said the bill was not being considered until June. Anyway I suggest http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com or http://gayuganda.blogspot.com or BBC.
9. 2011-05-19 23:19  
It's good to see how the USA conducted research in such a short time with commitment. Please, Malaysianssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
10. 2011-05-20 02:39  
typical roman catholic dogma,,,they think everything they say is correct,,,i have news for these no Protestants ...they are not.
11. 2011-05-20 03:58  
From your report it seems that the "experts" are unable to ascribe a reason for high levels of sexual abuse by priests. I fear that these "experts are naive. "Gay" by definition refers to a man who has sex with other men, These priests are by definition "gay" or at the least "bi". Most or all men have an element of gayness, which finds itself suppressed by attraction to the opposite sex.

The important thing to look at is why these men were drawn to allowing there "gay" side to be expressed in circumstances where a particularly strong social taboo exists.

Whatever the real cause the church has to face the consequences of denying to men the right to normal sexual expression. I understand that the early Roman Catholic church did permit priests to marry.

It is fine to demand that extra degree of self denial from priests, but this is hardly a practical proposition for a church unable to attract sufficient priests to administer to the members of the church.
12. 2011-05-20 06:06  
8. Kellen, your defense is disingenuous.

13. 2011-05-20 07:38  
BTW the main newspaper in Singapore (Straits Times) carried this piece of news yesterday but notably the 'abuse has no link to homosexuality' part was buried more than halfway down.
14. 2011-05-20 16:53  
I don't give any sort of legitimacy to professional religious people they are really just another citizen to me doing some kooky job, I do remember having it off with a guy in my early 20's at a naughty gay venue who it turned out was a priest not wearing his collar, frankly I wasn't impressed as they are deceitful and hypocrites like disloyal married men
15. 2011-05-20 17:17  
Perhaps shepard's instinct is to exploit sheep?
16. 2011-05-21 00:27  
And not all the cruisers in public washrooms, parks, saunas, bars, gay websites and so on are gay either. Many of them have a wife and kids at home who are waiting for daddy, who is, unfortunately, "tied up" at the office, in traffic or on his knees somewhere praying - or is that worshipping?

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