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How serious is the ‘predator priest’ problem?
By Web Bryant, USA TODAY
The U.S. Catholic Church is still shuddering from the effects of the sexual abuse crisis. Most Catholics are still critical of the church’s handling of the matter, and one in 10 are considering leaving the faith altogether. Some believe that clerical celibacy is at the core of the crisis, while others blame the all-male character of the priesthood. Reading such accounts, though, it’s easy to forget that we have not the slightest idea how serious the abuse problem is among Catholic priests as opposed to other professionals dealing with children.
That statement may sound outrageous — of course Catholic priests have a huge abuse problem! But why do we think that? News stories frequently note similar cases involving members of a wide range of professions, not just clergy of all denominations but also scoutmasters and secular schoolteachers. So how do their rates of abuse compare with those of priests? We have precisely no evidence on the issue.
No reputable scholar has ever conducted a survey of the abuse problem as it affects any other profession, in a way that would allow us to make direct comparisons with the Catholic clergy. If anyone believes that priests offend at a higher rate than teachers or non-celibate clergy, then they should produce the evidence on which they are basing that conclusion. I know of none. Saying “everybody knows” does not constitute scientific methodology.
Beyond question, though, the abuse issue affects non-Catholic settings. Particularly eye-opening is the detailed report on " Educator Sexual Misconduct" that Hofstra University professor Charol Shakeshaft compiled for the U.S. Department of Education in 2004. Among other findings, we read that about 10% of secular school pupils in grades eight to 11 report having been at the receiving end of such sexual misconduct, broadly defined. That does not mean that 10% of teachers misbehave, rather that a tiny number offend frequently, and egregiously: very much the same situation, in fact, as among Catholic priests.
Why, then, do we hear so much about Catholic cases? What is different about the Catholic Church is the manner in which its problems have come to light, and this involves both the nature of the institution itself and the workings of the law. As a result, the church is much more open to civil litigation than any other institution. These lawsuits allow the exposure of numerous cases that would never have surfaced if the perpetrators were not priests.
usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-06-07-column07_ST_N.htm
By Web Bryant, USA TODAY
The U.S. Catholic Church is still shuddering from the effects of the sexual abuse crisis. Most Catholics are still critical of the church’s handling of the matter, and one in 10 are considering leaving the faith altogether. Some believe that clerical celibacy is at the core of the crisis, while others blame the all-male character of the priesthood. Reading such accounts, though, it’s easy to forget that we have not the slightest idea how serious the abuse problem is among Catholic priests as opposed to other professionals dealing with children.
That statement may sound outrageous — of course Catholic priests have a huge abuse problem! But why do we think that? News stories frequently note similar cases involving members of a wide range of professions, not just clergy of all denominations but also scoutmasters and secular schoolteachers. So how do their rates of abuse compare with those of priests? We have precisely no evidence on the issue.
No reputable scholar has ever conducted a survey of the abuse problem as it affects any other profession, in a way that would allow us to make direct comparisons with the Catholic clergy. If anyone believes that priests offend at a higher rate than teachers or non-celibate clergy, then they should produce the evidence on which they are basing that conclusion. I know of none. Saying “everybody knows” does not constitute scientific methodology.
Beyond question, though, the abuse issue affects non-Catholic settings. Particularly eye-opening is the detailed report on " Educator Sexual Misconduct" that Hofstra University professor Charol Shakeshaft compiled for the U.S. Department of Education in 2004. Among other findings, we read that about 10% of secular school pupils in grades eight to 11 report having been at the receiving end of such sexual misconduct, broadly defined. That does not mean that 10% of teachers misbehave, rather that a tiny number offend frequently, and egregiously: very much the same situation, in fact, as among Catholic priests.
Why, then, do we hear so much about Catholic cases? What is different about the Catholic Church is the manner in which its problems have come to light, and this involves both the nature of the institution itself and the workings of the law. As a result, the church is much more open to civil litigation than any other institution. These lawsuits allow the exposure of numerous cases that would never have surfaced if the perpetrators were not priests.
usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/2010-06-07-column07_ST_N.htm
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