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SEXUAL ABUSE BY CATHOLIC CLERGY
CHURCH REACTION: 2002-JULY
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Creation of a National Sexual Abuse Review Board:
By 2002-JUL-24, the president of the U.S. Roman Catholic bishops had
appointed twelve lay, practicing Catholics to a blue-ribbon review board which
will monitor church leaders as they implement the church's new clerical sex
abuse policy.
Makeup of the review board:
Included are:
 | Robert S. Bennett, a prominent attorney from Washington, DC. |
| Michael Bland, a victim of clergy abuse and a counselor who works with
other victims for the Chicago Archdiocese. |
| Anne M. Burke of Chicago IL, a justice on the Illinois Appellate
Court. |
| William Burleigh, board chairperson of E.W. Scripps Co., a
media company |
| Nicholas Cafardi, dean of the Duquesne University School of Law. |
| Jane Chiles, recently retired executive director of the Catholic
Conference of Kentucky. |
| Alice Bourke Hayes, president of the University of San Diego. |
| Pamela D. Hayes, an attorney from New York who has past experience
prosecuting sex offenses. |
| Leon Panetta, a former congressman and White House chief of staff. |
| Frank Keating, the governor of Oklahoma. |
| Paul McHugh, director of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine. |
| Ray Siegfriend II, board chairperson of the Nordham Group an
aviation service and manufacturing company. |
| One more member remains to be appointed, probably during the week of
JUL-29. |
Frank Keating is the chairperson of the Board.
Allegations of backpedaling by the board chairperson:
In an June interview, Keating allegedly stated that his board may call for
the resignation of some church officials. However, the Boston Globe reported in
a JUL-24 interview that: "he described as a 'misunderstanding' the
belief by some observers that his board may call for resignations of bishops and
said that 'most probably and most appropriately it would be the local boards
that would be dealing with each individual case and diocese.' Bishop
accountability has emerged as a key issue for many American Catholics in the
clergy sex abuse crisis that began in January." 9
As reported in the Washington Post, he promised that the board
will be tough on priests who molest minors and on church leaders who hide abuse
cases. He said: "This is an impressive group of
Catholic lay leaders who are committed to restoring credibility and faith in the
church...We care deeply about the church, which has been deeply hurt. Our
community is angry, because the Catholic Church is trailing blood."
1
Keating repeated his defense of the Board in the Boston Globe
on 2002-JUL-24: "We do not intend to be apologists in any sense for corrupt
acts or indifference or evasion; we don't have time for that...Look at this list
of people...No one is going to push Leon Panetta around. No one is going to push
Bob Bennett around. We care deeply about the church, which has been deeply hurt
here. Our American Catholic community is angry because the American Catholic
church is trailing blood, and we do not intend to be anything but forthright and
aggressive advocates of change and reform." 9
David Clohessy, national director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by
Priests, (SNAP) commented: "The commission is only going to be effective if
people trust it, and people won't trust it if the chairman or the members talk
tough on one day and then start backpedaling the next day...We have to remember
that local boards have existed for a decade, and none of them have been profiles
in courage... [they have been made up of] very loyal and not very assertive and
independent- minded Catholics." 9
Criticism of the board makeup by St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
The editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote an editorial criticizing
the makeup of the review board. He made a number of points:
| The national review board may have far less authority than originally
advertised. |
| The chairperson stated that the panel will not have the power to recommend
that bishops who shelter abusive priests be removed. Only the local review
board will be able to do this. But the membership of those boards will be
selected by the local bishop. |
| Dozens of abusive priests have been fired. But all of the bishops who
engaged in cover-ups continue to serve. |
| The national board consists of:
 | Three defense lawyers, but no plaintiff's lawyers. |
| One victim of abuse who is a former priest who works for the Church in
Chicago. |
| One psychiatrist, Dr. Paul McHugh, who is a "leading skeptic of
'recovered memory syndrome.' " 9 |
|
Criticism of the board makeup by victim advocacy groups:
According to the Washington Post, the selection of members for this board was
criticized by victim advocacy groups:
| David Clohessy, national director of
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) suggested that a
member from a victim advocacy groups should be added to the panel.
Clohessy said: "The panel can only be effective if it is independent
and is perceived as such." 1 |
| Susan Archibald, organizational director of
the Linkup, another victims' group, said some panelists' past or
present church connections "suggest a conflict of interest." |
Criticism of the board makeup by believers in
Recovered Memory Therapy:
But by far the greatest source of criticism came from supporters of
Recovered Memory Therapy (RMT). This is an
experimental form of therapy that was designed to uncover memories of
childhood abuse that the therapists and clients believe had been repressed. It was a
common form of therapy in the 1980s and early 1990s, and is in rapid decline.
There is now a near consensus of psychiatrists and psychologist who recognize
that RMT is junk therapy, that is profoundly dangerous. Most now recognize
that RMT often generates images that coalesce into what feel like memories,
but are of events that never happened. A few recovered "memory" cases
have surfaced recently in connection with clergy
abuse.
In the sometimes vicious "memory wars" of the 1980s and 1990s,
therapists and memory researchers fought about the reliability of
recovered memories. This conflict has been largely
settled; a near consensus of psychiatrists and psychologists and their
professional associations warn of the extreme danger of false memories being
developed during RMT. However, there are still some quite vocal supporters of RMT in the U.S. At least
five criticized the appointment to the review board of its only psychiatrist:
Paul McHugh. He has long been concerned about the inaccuracy of many
recovered memories. He serves on the scientific advisory board of the False
Memory Syndrome Foundation. That group believes that some recovered "memories"
are false, and that RMT has harmed or destroyed the lives of many tens of
thousands of clients and their families of origin. McHugh had testified at
court cases about the unreliable nature of recovered memories, on behalf of
people accused of child abuse.
| Paul Fink, professor of psychiatry at Temple University and
past president of the American Psychiatric Association (APA), has
described false memory syndrome as "junk science." Yet
the APA that Fink once headed stated in 1993
and later confirmed in 2000 that RMT
"memories" are unreliable, and that images recovered during RMT are often
false. Referring to
McHugh's appointment, Fink said: "People are upset by this because he's
clearly someone who wants to downplay the horror of sexual abuse."
McHugh and other members of the False Memory Syndrome Foundation's
scientific advisory board have stressed both the seriousness of child
sexual abuse, and the dangers of accusing and imprisoning adults on the
basis of RMT-generated false memories. 1 |
| Stu Philip of Vienna, Va., was an editor for a newsletter in the 1990s
which supported victims of child sexual abuse. He was astonished the
church would put on the panel "somebody who in any way is affiliated
with an organization which says...that the vast majority of people who
make claims [of abuse] are deluded or had memories implanted by
therapists." In fact, the False Memory Syndrome Foundation
(FMSF) has continually suggested that the vast majority of people who have
been seriously sexually abused as children retain memories of the abuse
continuously into
adulthood, and must be carefully listened to. The FMSF has also taken the
same position as the APA that some memories recovered by RMT are of real
events and others are of events that never happened. They suggest that
corroboration is necessary before a recovered memory can be considered
reliable. 1 |
| Mary Gail Frawley-O'Dea is a psychologist working with sexual-abuse
victims. "My problem is that I think he's an extremist. {The board
does]...not need someone with this baggage." 2 |
| Richard B. Gartner is a psychologist from New York City, and heads the
National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization. He said that it
was "really disappointing that the board would choose as its only
mental health professional someone whose main professional identification
is involved with being skeptical of victims' stories. I think it gives the
message that the church is going to be skeptical of accusations, and when
at all possible, will try to once again abrogate its responsibilities."
2 |
| Mark Serrano, spokesperson for SNAP said, "To appoint someone with
a background like McHugh's, where he has worked directly against the
interests of victims in the courtroom, I think reflects a cynicism and
arrogance of power on behalf of the bishops that is reflected in [the
sexual abuse policy adopted in Dallas] as well." 2 |
| The editorial in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentioned above said: "However
controversial recovered memory syndrome is among psychiatrists, Dr.
McHugh's presence on the panel suggests the bishops have already made up
their minds. The idea behind this commission was to restore credibility,
not lessen it even further." 9 |
McHugh, 71, labeled such criticism of his appointment as "ridiculous," adding, "I
don't have a bias for child abusers." Speaking to the Baltimore
Sun, he said that his opposition to recovered memories does not mean
that he is not concerned about child abuse. He said: "I don't know why
they would think for a minute that my concern with bad psychiatric
practices would have anything to do with my concern with victims today." He
noted that most of the cases
involving abusive priests are not based on repressed "memories." He said: "The
church is in trouble because of things that have been corroborated over and
over again. The issues here have very little to do with false memories."
He stated that he remains very proud of his long-standing involvement with
the foundation. 2
Frederick S. Berlin, a psychiatrist at Johns Hopkins and
founder of an affiliated sexual disorders clinic, defended his colleague.
Berlin said: "It's very unfair criticism. He's committed to making sure
the abused children are given proper care, but he's also concerned about the
horror of being falsely accused. He simply tried to suggest that people keep
their minds open." 1
Monsignor Francis Maniscalco, spokesperson for the U.S. bishops'
conference, defended the appointment. He said that McHugh "is not only a
distinguished psychiatrist but a longtime administrator in one our finest
universities. Obviously there is a controversy in the scientific community
over recovered memory. But we're not talking about looking at individual
cases. The work of the review board is to monitor the compliance of the
dioceses with the (church's sexual abuse policy)."
Voice of the Faithful:
This is an organization of Roman Catholic laypersons, which has been growing
rapidly since its founding in 2002-FEB. As of 2002-JUL, they have 19,000 members
in 40 states and 21 countries. On the weekend of 2002-JUL-20, four thousand
members met in Boston, MA, at their first national convention to "listen,
pray and take steps of their own to end clergy sexual abuse of children."
Mark Serrano, an abuse victim, an activist with the
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and attendee at the
conference said: "We know that in the church, power is ordained by the pope.
But in America, power is ordained by the people. Today, that power is being
ordained."
At their workshops, they learned "new tools for
keeping church leaders accountable: a checklist for rating bishops, for
instance, and information on a new fund to support church charities while
circumventing church coffers." Other workshops were labeled: "Creating a
Sexually Safe Parish," "Guide for Renewing and Restructuring the Catholic
Church" and "Our New Financial Voice: How Money Matters." One serious
problem with the group is the lack of involvement of church conservatives.
Conference chairperson Paul Baier said: "No real change ever occurred without
liberals and conservatives getting together. But I'm not seeing a lot of
conservatives standing up for children's rights. I'm sorry, but 'pray and trust
the bishops' is not a leadership plan."
Reactions among the attendees varied:
| Susan Renehan, an abuse victim and local activist said: "Priests
are raping and torturing your children, and your bishops are hiding it."
Her comment directed at the church hierarchy was: "We don't need your
voice. You need ours." |
| Rev. Thomas Doyle, an Army chaplain, said: "The privileged are not
the ones in the robes or on the thrones, but the poor and the
marginalized. Today we're taking back what has been hijacked from us." |
| Theologian Ann Riggs of River College (probably of Sacramento CA)
said: "American Catholics are sometimes prone to seeing laity and
clergy as an us-versus-them struggle. My model would be more of a family
in crisis, where you hang together and work it out. I don't want to be
bishop-trashing." 3 |
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World Youth Day in Toronto:
The pope attended the 17th World Youth Day in Toronto, ON, Canada. The
"day" ran from 2002-JUL-18 to 28. The organizers expected about 450,000
young people to attend; a little over 200,000 came.
Some developments related to priest sexual abuse were:
| 2002-JUL-24: Archbishop George Pell of Sydney, Australia
addressed a group of 500 young Roman Catholics in Brampton, near Toronto.
They were attending World Youth Day. He said that
abortion is a worse moral scandal than priests
who sexually abuse young people. He described Jesus as promising to punish
anyone who strays from the church's teachings on premarital sex,
abortion, physician
assisted suicide, various other social justice matters, and helping
the poor. He said: "Jesus offers punishment and consequences. It's
right through the Gospels....It's important for you to defend Catholic
tradition as coming to us from Christ and the apostles....The function of
the Pope is to protect that tradition, to say this belongs to Catholic
tradition and this doesn't. We are not free to decide for ourselves what
is right and wrong. Our conscience can be wrong." He received a
standing ovation from the youth at the end of his speech.
After the class, he clarified his statement about priest abuse to Michael
Valpy, a reporter. He said that abortion is the more serious crime, "Because
it's always a destruction of human life. I'm not in any way attempting to
downplay abuse. I'm saying there's been a lot of attention on sexual
abuse, but not on other things. That's all I'm trying to say." Valpy
wrote that Pell "...has been accused of hearing complaints of sexual
molestation and having done nothing and of agreeing to payments to victims
on condition they not speak out -- accusations that he has denied. There
have been demands he resign." 4 |
| 2002-JUL-26: Cardinal Law of Boston MA addressed a group of
pilgrims at a catechism session associated with World Youth Day.
Cardinal Law, more than any other church official, is associated with the
priest sexual abuse scandals and church cover-ups. He answered a question
about how a Roman Catholic should follow the church's rule to love
homosexuals while opposing their right to marry. Law replied that
Catholics should boycott their gay and lesbian friends' union ceremonies
because to attend them would lend support to unnatural relationships. He
said: "For us to give public recognition of that
in any way is to confirm a pattern of living that is not ordained by
God....The general principle is we are called to love and accept every
human being." But, he said that all persons, both married and single
are expected to "live chaste lives." i.e. to restrict sexual
activity to only between a husband and wife. Anything else, he said, "is
not in accord with the teaching of Jesus and the church."
5 |
| In his message to a crowd of about 800,000, Pope John Paul II said:
"If you love Jesus, love the church. Do not be discouraged by the sins
and failings of some of her members. The harm done by some priests and
religious to the young and vulnerable fills us all with a deep sense of
sadness and shame. But think of the vast majority of dedicated priests and
religious whose only wish is to serve and do good. Be close to them and
support them." 6 |
| 2002-JUL: Philippines: Various news services reported that 200 Roman Catholic priests in the
Philippines have been investigated for "sexual misconduct and abuses"
over the past two decades. Some have been dismissed; most have resigned
voluntarily. This would represent almost 3% of the
total population of about 7,000 priests. However, it appears that
not all of the misconducts were criminal acts. The behaviors included many offenses
against both the laity and church policy, ranging from child abuse to rape to
the keeping
of adult mistresses. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
issued an unprecedented statement on JUL-8, apologizing for the "grave
sins committed by some leaders on members of the flock." There are more
than 50 million Roman Catholics in the Philippines. The only other country
with large Catholic populations in Asia is the newly independent East Timor.
8 |
References:
- Caryle Murphy and Sandra G. Boodman, "Psychiatrist on Catholic
Panel Criticized," The Washington Post, 2002-JUL-27, Page A02.
- John Rivera, "Baltimore doctor's post on bishops' panel is
criticized;
Critics say work refuting repressed-memory theory should disqualify him," The
Baltimore Sun, 2002-JUL-27, Page 4A.
- G. Jeffrey MacDonald, "Catholic group
discusses ways to end sexual abuse," 2002-JUL-27, Pioneer Press, at:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/
- Michael Valpy, "Schisms of theology run silent, run deep," The
Globe and Mail newspaper, Toronto ON Canada. 2002-JUL-25, at:
http://www.globeandmail.com/special
- Eric Convey, "Law: Catholics should boycott gay unions," Boston
Herald, 2002-JUL-27, at:
http://www.metrowestdailynews
- "Toronto bids farewell, as pope heads to Guatemala," Associated
Press, 2002-JUL-29, at:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/americas/
- Breda O'Brien, "Bleeding the Church," The Irish Times, Dublin,
Ireland, 2002-MAR-30, at:
http://www.worldpress.org/Europe/547.cfm
- "200 priests investigated for sexual abuses in Philippines,"
Agence France-Presse, 2002-JUL-9 at:
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/020709/1/30cew.html
- Sacha Pfeiffer, "Crisis in the church: Head of US Panel wants
priests' fates put in local hands," Boston Globe, 2002-JUL-25, Page
A1.
Copyright © 2002 by Ontario Consultants on Religious
Tolerance
Originally written: 2002-MAR-25
Latest update: 2002-SEP-18
Author: B.A. Robinson
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