Posted on 02/08/2023 6:14:23 PM PST by marshmallow
Because pastors do not report abuse, it allows abusers to keep on preying on vulnerable individuals,’ said advocate Abbi Nye.
(RNS) — If a member of the clergy suspects a child in the congregation has been abused, is the clergyperson legally required to report it?
In New York state, the answer is no. But some advocates, clergy and lawmakers think that should change.
This issue is at the heart the Child Abuse Reporting Expansion Act, a bill making its way through New York state Legislature that, if passed, would make clergy mandated reporters.
“CFCtoo is calling for CARE Act to be passed because we see it as a necessary first step toward making our communities and children safer,” said anti-abuse advocate Abbi Nye.
Nye is part of the advocacy group CFCtoo, a collective of former Christian Fellowship Center members. The CFC has five locations in New York’s North Country and has been described by some former members as insular. CFCtoo formed in June 2022 after congregation member Sean Ferguson was charged with having sexually abused his two young daughters in 2015. Church members later learned that leaders knew about the abuse years prior but did not report it to authorities or to the broader church community.
In October, CFCtoo held a press conference outside of the St. Lawrence County Courthouse to advocate for the CARE Act.
“We are aware of a number of cases, most recently with Sean Ferguson, where CFC pastors knew about abuse and did not report it. Because pastors do not report abuse, it allows abusers to keep on preying on vulnerable individuals,” Nye told Religion News Service. “Most sexual abusers have multiple victims, which is why it’s so important to report.”
(Excerpt) Read more at religionnews.com ...
On Guam they were required to report abuse.
Most states require reporting of illegal activity.
A priest should be one who is sworn to silence
A cleric in this situation is not different from any other citizen. “Suspicion” is just that— it is not the same as a Catholic Priest who hears a confession, which is privileged communication. Obviously, in the ideal world a pastor who has a suspicion about a parishioner should address it privately with said parishioner, and encourage him to do the right thing. He should not be required to report a suspicion because frankly the potential for being wrong and doing grievous harm to an innocent man is weighty. If one has certain knowledge of the perpetration of abuse, there are means to report that, which any citizen can and should use. But I see this as a moral obligation, not. a legal one.
Only in the confessional, IMHO. If a priest hears about abuse allegations that weren’t uttered in the confessional, then in my mind, he has a duty to report what he’s heard. It’s like counselors. They have a duty to report, even though something is mentioned in confidence.
Like the careless handling of confidential documents?
Unconstitutional, at least for Catholic priests: the confidence of the confessional is not to be broken for any reason on pain of excommunication.
I volunteer with a boys adventure organization. We are mandatory. Any ministry who doesn’t believe in that needs to be fired.
The reason I ask is that all others are agents of the state or are licensed by the state in some capacity while a religious cleric of any denomination isn't if they are not teaching in some sort of school. This is, in my opinion, a very grey area where the State can infringe on Religious Freedom.
Also, wouldn't this go against the whole separation of Church and State the left loves to quote Jefferson about?
I think ordinary citizens are not legally required to report abuse, but they are morally required to do so if they have more than just suspicions. I think teachers and counselors have a legal obligation.
I think priests who are told things in the confessional aren’t obligated, and shouldn’t be forced. I do think they should try to persuade someone to come forward with that information.
I know of one instance where a Sunday school teacher witnessed abuse happening to one of the students, and reported it to the pastor, and the pastor said to keep it to themselves. The problem came because this Sunday school teacher was ALSO a licensed practicing counselor, which obligated the teacher to report to the state, which eventually happened. It became a huge rift.
In my opinion, the priest acted inappropriately by not encouraging the abuse report. This was not confessional material.
Fair enough
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