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Critics say new study misses real reasons for priest abuse crisis
CNA ^ | Washington D.C., May 18, 2011

Posted on 05/19/2011 8:17:28 AM PDT by GonzoII

www.catholicnewsagency.com

Critics say new study misses real reasons for priest abuse crisis

By Marianne Medlin


Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons

.- A $2 million study commissioned by the U.S. bishops is not likely to put to rest questions about the causes of the sexual abuse crisis in the priesthood.

Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, a top psychiatrist and authority on treating sexually abusive priests, told CNA that he is “very critical” of the findings because they avoid discussing important causal factors in clerical sex abuse cases, namely homosexuality.

The study began to receive criticism on May 17, the day before it was released, in both the secular press and from Catholic experts who have studied the issues involved closely.

The study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York cites the sexual permissiveness of the 1960s and poor seminary training as the root causes of the crisis. The report is the third commissioned by the U.S. bishops since the break of the scandal in 2002 and was intended to address the patterns and pathologies behind the abuse.

Despite the report showing that nearly 80 percent of victims were post-pubescent and adolescent males, the study concludes that clinical data “do not support the hypothesis that priests with a homosexual identity ... are significantly more likely to sexually abuse.”

Fitzgibbons disputed that conclusion, saying that “analysis of the research demonstrates clearly that the major cause of the crisis was the homosexual abuse of males.”

This, he underscored in a May 18 phone interview, “was the heart of the crisis.”

Statistics from the recent John Jay report show that less than 5 percent of abuse took place with prepubescent children, making pedophilia a fraction of the core issue and sexual activity with adolescent males the primary occurrence.

“One can conclude that these priests have strong same-sex attraction,” he said. “When an adult is involved with homosexual behavior with an adolescent male, he clearly has a major problem in the area of homosexuality.”

“Priests and seminarians with deep seated homosexuality have a serious responsibility to seek appropriate help to protect adolescents,” he emphasized.

Fitzsgibbons praised the John Jay Criminal College for their work in previous studies, which he said gave “accurate” statistics on sex abuse. However, he was critical of the college being chosen for the third study analyzing underlying factors, saying that criminologists “lack the professional expertise to comment on causes of sexual abuse.”

“The earlier conclusions were very accurate, but the present analysis – the attempt to identify causes and context – I would completely disagree with.”

“If the (U.S. bishops) conference wanted an analysis of the causes of complex sexual behavior with adolescents,” he said, “don't turn to criminologists.”

“They are not trained to understand those causes – that training is given to mental health professionals.”

“They can report on the statistical analysis of the behavior but in terms of causes, they've crossed a line, in my view.”

The John Jay researchers also clarified in their study that priestly celibacy was not a factor in clerical sex abuse and said that the offenders chose to victimize boys because clergy had greater access to them.

Bill Donohue, president of The Catholic League for Religious Liberty, reacted to the notion of accessibility to boys over girls, saying the “there are so few incidents of abuse these days – an average of 8.3 per year since 2005 – that it makes no sense to compare the percentage of male victims at the peak of the scandal to what has happened since altar girls were allowed.”

“The latest study on abuse notes that 83 percent of the allegations made in 2010 were by males, and the bulk of incidents took place in the early 1970s,” he said.

“Besides, priests had nothing but access to male altar servers before the 1960s, and the report notes that sexual abuse was not a problem then.”

“That’s because there were fewer gay priests then,” Donohue argued.
 
The report “says that 81 percent of the victims were male and 78 percent were post-pubescent,” he reiterated. “Since 100 percent of the abusers were male, that's called homosexuality, not pedophilia or heterosexuality.”

“A homosexual is defined by his actions, not his identity,” he said.

Despite the disagreement incited over the particulars of the report, the numbers ultimately show a drastic decline in sex abuse occurrences within the Church over time.

The “peak of the crisis has passed,” the report noted. Because the Church “responded,” abuse cases decreased and sexual abuse of minors “continues to remain low.”

Researchers said data show that abuse incidents were “highest between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s.”

“Ninety-four percent of the abuse incidents reported to the Catholic Church from 1950 through 2009 took place before 1990,” the study said, adding that currently, “fewer new reports are brought forward” each year.



TOPICS: Catholic; Ministry/Outreach; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: whopaid4rapereport
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To: BenKenobi

I have had this discussion with a number of people from a number of denominations. This is not just a catholic issue. There are just as many documented instances of abuse from protestant parishes are there are from catholic parishes. The problem is not homosexuality, or pedophilia, or any other damn label you can put on a person. The problem can be explained in two words...... Evil Exists....


21 posted on 05/19/2011 10:17:42 AM PDT by joe fonebone (Project Gunwalker, this will make watergate look like the warm up band......)
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To: GonzoII

This article gets the report wrong, “Despite the report showing that nearly 80 percent of victims were post-pubescent and adolescent males....”

The report stated that 73% of victims were under the age of 15. 51% of victims were between 11 and 14. I wouldn’t consider 11-12 year old boys to be post-pubescent, so where did they get the 80% claim?


22 posted on 05/19/2011 10:23:34 AM PDT by Turtlepower
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To: GonzoII

GonzoII,

What’s the executive summary on the big report?

My impression, garnered largely from talking to priests in their 60’s and 70’s is that toward the end of the pre-VatII period there were a LOT of seminaries that took kids of high-school age and raised them in a hot-house environment.

I know a priest in his 80’s (late vocation, great guy) who said when he was in seminary, they gave him a kind of paddle with which to tuck his shirt into his pants to minimized the chance (horror!) that he might touch his genitals.

IMHO that’s not Catholicism, it’s perverted M<anicheeanism or turbo-Jansenism or something.

In any event, Such an environment would not, I think, conduce to healthy personal development, sexual insight and control or anything.

Then these poor guys are turned out into an environment in which suddenly, post VATII they are not living in virtually cloistered rectories and where, suddenly, it is perfectly legitimate to give you priest a hug.

They selected immature and frightened people, preserved and grew their immaturity and fear, and turned them loose.

Serious, destructive stupidity. IF this is an accurate account....


23 posted on 05/19/2011 10:28:23 AM PDT by Mad Dawg (Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.)
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To: joe fonebone

I have to add that when I was in Episcopal seminary in the early’70s this was NEVER discussed and the need for a strong spiritual life and what I think of as “upstream support” was not stressed.

I think the alleged “sexual revolution” was partly a result of decades of steadfastly looking in the other direction. In part it’s hard to blame our forbears and predecessors. They didn’t see this coming.


24 posted on 05/19/2011 10:42:43 AM PDT by Mad Dawg (Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.)
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To: GonzoII
...“They are not trained to understand those causes – that training is given to mental health professionals.”

Are these the same "professionals" who desisted homosexuality from the DSM in the early 70'S? Are these the same "professionals" who believed treatment and rehabilitation was possible for offenders? Modern psychology is even more politicized than climate "science".

25 posted on 05/19/2011 12:15:47 PM PDT by conservonator (Kant spill or type...probably due to a meaningless degree from a lame Midwest school)
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To: BenKenobi
Are you suggesting that it’s healthy to act on your compulsions?

How does the question I posed, or any other portion of my post, lead to your inference that I adopted the premise of your question?

One, anyone who has that compulsion is unfit for the priesthood.

And of course, the hypothetical man that feels such a compulsion and is attracted to a vow of celebacy as a result will freely admit it, or, if he does not, his concealed compulsion will be completely apparent to all who train him. Right?

You appear to know very little about compulsion and denial.

26 posted on 05/19/2011 1:20:39 PM PDT by frithguild (The Democrat Party Brand - Big Government protecting Entrenched Interests from Competition)
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To: frithguild
"St. Peter, the rock upon whom the church was built, was married, but what do I know."

Apparently, only what's on the talking points that are currently popular in your circle of friends.

When priests weren't required to be celibate those who wanted to attack His Church were saying that the priest couldn't have his own wife and family to look after and be a good shepherd. Those blathering about how bad it was for priests to have wives also referred to what one of the Apostles had to say on the subject, but I guess that's not on the little checklist of verses to quote on this topic.

27 posted on 05/19/2011 1:25:25 PM PDT by Rashputin (Obama is insane but kept medicated and on golf courses to hide it)
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To: Rashputin
in your circle of friends

You would know, certainly.

28 posted on 05/19/2011 1:39:06 PM PDT by frithguild (The Democrat Party Brand - Big Government protecting Entrenched Interests from Competition)
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To: frithguild
"You would know, certainly."

Obviously someone who isn't familiar with the history of a topic they chose to comment on doesn't include those toward whom the comment is directed, fellow Christians in this case, to be among those they seek a firth relationship with. Which makes quoting Scripture all the more interesting given that fact that those toward whom the comment was directed are children of Christ, proclaim fellow Christians as their family, and declare that Christ is Lord.

29 posted on 05/19/2011 3:06:32 PM PDT by Rashputin (Obama is insane but kept medicated and on golf courses to hide it)
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To: frithguild

Answer the questions.


30 posted on 05/19/2011 3:18:18 PM PDT by BenKenobi
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To: Peter from Rutland

I think you have prerty much said all you have to contribute to the discussion, which is nothing.


31 posted on 05/19/2011 4:54:25 PM PDT by RobbyS (Pray with the suffering souls.)
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To: conservonator

But I take his point. It begs the question of the nature of homosexuality. So many things arouse a man, but at bottom is the way the twig is bent and what opportunities are available.


32 posted on 05/19/2011 5:00:06 PM PDT by RobbyS (Pray with the suffering souls.)
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To: GonzoII

Is anyone else as puzzled by the message shared by the MSM and the anti-Catholics that it isn’t homosexuality that is wrong, it is Catholicism?


33 posted on 05/19/2011 5:40:28 PM PDT by Natural Law
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To: BenKenobi
Answer the questions.

No.

34 posted on 05/19/2011 6:20:01 PM PDT by frithguild (The Democrat Party Brand - Big Government protecting Entrenched Interests from Competition)
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To: Rashputin
Obviously someone who isn't familiar with the history of a topic they chose to comment on doesn't include those toward whom the comment is directed, fellow Christians in this case, to be among those they seek a firth relationship with. Which makes quoting Scripture all the more interesting given that fact that those toward whom the comment was directed are children of Christ, proclaim fellow Christians as their family, and declare that Christ is Lord.


35 posted on 05/19/2011 6:23:13 PM PDT by frithguild (The Democrat Party Brand - Big Government protecting Entrenched Interests from Competition)
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To: frithguild

You appear to know very little about compulsion and denial.


36 posted on 05/19/2011 6:38:27 PM PDT by BenKenobi
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To: BenKenobi

wow


37 posted on 05/19/2011 10:13:06 PM PDT by frithguild (The Democrat Party Brand - Big Government protecting Entrenched Interests from Competition)
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To: RobbyS
But I take his point. It begs the question of the nature of homosexuality. So many things arouse a man, but at bottom is the way the twig is bent and what opportunities are available.

True, akin to the maxim "you can't manage what you can't measure".

38 posted on 05/20/2011 7:36:26 AM PDT by conservonator (Kant spill or type...probably due to a meaningless degree from a lame Midwest school)
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To: frithguild
The picture of one of your family members isn't nearly as funny as watching you try and talk out of both sides of your mouth is.
39 posted on 05/20/2011 10:13:44 AM PDT by Rashputin (Obama is insane but kept medicated and on golf courses to hide it)
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