Washington -- Because potential sexual abusers of minors cannot be pinpointed through "identifiable psychological characteristics," it is "very important" to prevent abuse by limiting the "situational factors" associated with it, according to a long-awaited report on the causes and context of sexual abuse by priests in the United States.
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The recently completed report, which was to be released in Washington May 18, said there is "no single identifiable 'cause' of sexually abusive behavior toward minors." It encouraged steps to deny abusers "the opportunity to abuse."
Titled "The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950-2010," it reports the findings of a study mandated in 2002 under the U.S. Catholic bishops' "Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People."
In the Archdiocese of Detroit, Archbishop Allen Vigneron called the report “both sobering and significant,” though he noted its contents are familiar because they’re consistent with what the Church has learned in recent years.
“It’s yet another indicator to keep us vigilant in our efforts for the protection of children and youth,” Archbishop Vigneron said. “Most importantly, we need to continue to respond to, and assist, those who have been victimized. Our pastoral support must be unwavering; victims need be confident in coming forward to us, regardless of when the abuse might have occurred.”
Since 2003, thousands of Catholics in the Detroit archdiocese have attended workshops to help create and maintain environments for youths in which sex abuse would not be able to happen. The archdiocese keeps resources to its programs, and a running report of local sex abuse cases, on its website at www.aodonline.org/safeenvironments.
The charter that mandated the national John Jay report, adopted by the U.S. bishops during a historic meeting in Dallas, created a National Review Board and directed the lay consultative body to commission studies of the abuse problem's "nature and scope" and its "causes and context." The John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York conducted both studies.
The nature and scope study appeared in February 2004. The causes and context study commenced in 2006.
The new report addressed several misperceptions about the sexual abuse of minors by priests. It said:
- Priestly celibacy does not explain this problem. "Constant in the Catholic Church since the 11th century," celibacy cannot "account for the rise and subsequent decline in abuse cases from the 1960s through the 1980s."
- Despite "widespread speculation," priests with a homosexual identity "were not significantly more likely to abuse minors" than heterosexual priests. Sexual "identity" should be differentiated from "behavior." A possible reason so many male minors were abused is that priests had greater access to them.
- Less than 5 percent of priests with abuse allegations exhibited behavior consistent with pedophilia. Few victims were prepubescent children.
- Seventy percent of priests referred for abusing a minor "had also had sexual behavior with adults," the study found. The majority of priest-abusers did not "specialize" in abusing "particular types of victims."
The new study's goal was to understand what factors "led to a sexual abuse 'crisis' in the Catholic Church" and "make recommendations to Catholic leadership" for reducing abuse, the John Jay College researchers explained.
They said their report also "provides a framework" for understanding "sexual victimization of children in any institution" and how organizations respond.
No other institution has undertaken a public study of sexual abuse like this one, they said.
Priests who abused minors were not carbon copies of one another. The report said they constituted a "heterogeneous population." The majority "appear to have had certain vulnerabilities," such as "emotional congruence to adolescents" or difficulty interrelating with adults.
Some priest-abusers were abused as youths. "Having been sexually abused by an adult while a minor increased the risk that priests would later abuse a child," the report said.
The stress priests may experience at transitional moments -- moving from seminary to parish life; transferring to new parishes; becoming pastors -- was cited as a factor that can increase "vulnerability to abuse."
The report indicated that "situational stressors" do not cause abuse, but may serve "as triggers." High alcohol consumption during stressful times can lower inhibitions, it noted.
"The peak of the crisis has passed," the report observed. It said the Church "responded," and abuse cases decreased substantially.
A "system of change" has begun in the Church, according to the report. However, it said, "organizational changes take years, and often decades, to fully implement."
The report called sexual abuse of minors "a long-term societal problem," one "likely to persist, particularly in organizations that nurture and mentor adolescents." It said diocesan leaders "must continue to deal with abuse allegations appropriately."
Priest-abusers represented only a small percentage of all priests. The researchers judged it "neither possible nor desirable to implement extensive restrictions on the mentoring and nurturing relationships between minors and priests, given that most priests have not sexually abused minors and are not likely to do so."
Because so many abuse cases first were reported to authorities in the early 2000s, some people suspect the abuse remains "at peak levels," the report said. The reality is otherwise.
Sexual abuse of minors by priests "increased steadily from the mid-1960s through the late 1970s, then declined in the 1980s and continues to remain low," the report showed. "Most abuse incidents occurred decades ago."
And "the majority of abusers (70 percent) were ordained prior to the 1970s," the study noted; 44 percent of those accused entered the priesthood before 1960.
Archbishop Vigneron said he would share the report with the leadership of the archdiocese, its parishes and its schools, and would converse with them over whether findings should impact local practices.
The Michigan Catholic contributed to this report. To inform the Archdiocese of Detroit regarding the sexual abuse of minors by priests, deacons, and other Church personnel and/or to speak to the Victim Assistance Coordinator, call (866) 343–8055.
