Catholic Pedophile Priests: The Effect on US Society

[Guest guest]

Catholic Pedophile Priests:

The Effect on US Society

 

The many flaws and omissions in the official report

still cannot hide that this is a crisis of historical proportions.

 

 

-

 

 

The National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young

People established by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has not

had an easy time of determining the extent of the sexual abuse of

minors within the American Roman Catholic Church. Not surprisingly,

there has been considerable internal opposition. This resistance was

so bad that long before its work was finished, its chairman, Frank

Keating, was forced to resign after he compared the Church's actions

to the Cosa Nostra, which rather proved his point.

 

Certainly the fact that the report was reluctantly commissioned by

the bishops who have been responsible for the crisis does not

reflect well on its credibility. Nor does the fact that they only

reason they ever did so was due to the constant and unrelenting

pressure since the early 1990s by victims and advocacy groups, and

later, the news media — not to mention the drain on their treasuries

from huge settlements and dwindling contributions.

 

Many dioceses with much to hide did not want to co-operate. The

results are still missing from some, and the rest are spinning their

denials and minimalizations as fast at their highly paid PR firms

can turn.

 

The focus was criticized as too narrow, being concerned solely with

child sexual abuse. Other situations where clerics have sexually

acted out with adult women and men, nuns and seminarians, have not

been looked at; nor the effect on any offspring they may have sired

in the process. For that matter, the personal cost to victims and

their families remains uncounted. How many lives destroyed through

alcohol, drugs, unsafe sex or violence have there been? How much

abuse has been repeated by its victims? How many suicides and ruined

families? How can the total cost ever be calculated?

 

There has been much complaining by victims, also, that only a

handful were asked to testify, that there was too little time and

too many restrictions. Many, too, point out that not all victims

have yet come forward by any means. Indeed, even if there are no new

cases, just the repressed memories alone of the still-unrecognized

victims will guarantee that these numbers will only increase over

the next twenty years.

 

And nothing has been said about multiple abusers and rings who

swapped victims around like trading cards...

 

Nonetheless, A Report on the Crisis in the Catholic Church in the

United States has generated a fog of figures, which cannot obscure

the extent of this massive failure of institutional religion. It is

indeed a crisis. Though this is a step forward, it is not the

solution by any means, but a half-hearted admission that there is a

problem.

 

Here are a few of the highlights.

 

US clerics accused of abuse from 1950-2002: 4,392.

About 4% of the 109,694 serving during those 52 years.

Individuals making accusations: 10,667.

Victims' ages: 5.8% under 7; 16% ages 8-10; 50.9% ages 11-14; 27.3%

ages 15-17.

Victims' gender: 81% male, 19% female

Duration of abuse: Among victims, 38.4% said all incidents occurred

within one year; 21.8% said one to two years; 28%, two to four

years; 11.8% longer.

Victims per priest: 55.7% with one victim; 26.9% with two or three;

13.9% with four to nine; 3.5% with 10 or more (these 149 priests

caused 27% of allegations).

Abuse locations: 40.9% at priest's residence; 16.3% in church; 42.8%

elsewhere.

Known cost to dioceses and religious orders: $572,507,094 (does not

include the $85 million Boston settlement and other expenses after

research was concluded). (Hartford Courant, 2/27/04)

It should be noted that 30% of all accusations were not investigated

as they were deemed unsubstantiated or because the accused priest is

dead.

 

Unfortunately, however, these initial numbers are likely to be the

only official accounting ever done by the Roman Catholic Church. As

soon as the report was published, the UCCB acted swiftly to cut the

National Review Board's feet out from under it. For this was to be

the preliminary report; the audits were to be completed and a larger

report issued. Furthermore, the Board had planned further follow-up

reports to follow the implementation of their proposals.

 

That will not happen now. And so the Church has lost its last, best

chance of ever coming clean.

 

In any case, these figures are widely suspected to be grossly

underestimated. For example, the late Fr. Tom Economus, former

President of the Linkup, a national survivors' advocacy group, said

back in the mid-90s that he knew of " 1,400 insurance claims on the

books and that the Church has paid out over $1 billion in liability

with an estimated $500 million pending. " (Emphasis added.)

 

He also said that over 800 priests had been removed from ministry

and that there might be as many as 5,000 with allegations against

them, which is not that far off. He often claimed that by far the

most calls he received from all victims of any kind of clergy abuse

were those from males who suffered abuse in their youth in the

Catholic Church. Certainly these figures, which show that the

highest number of victims were 12 year old boys and that 80% of the

abuse was homosexual in nature, validate that anecodotal evidence,

too.

 

Also, Fr. Tom Doyle, a canon lawyer with more experience than any in

these cases, has raised many questions over the validity and

methodology of the study. He has said that he thought many cases

were still hidden, pointing out the low numbers for the 1950s.

 

' " It's not over with, " Doyle said. " The heart of the matter is: Why

was there this massive betrayal? Why did they move [abusers] around

for years, when they knew what they were doing? Why have they

continued to re-victimize the victims by stonewalling, and why they

have never turned in any of these known pedophiles? " '(Hartford

Courant, 2/26/04)

 

 

---

-----------

 

Additional Information from other sources

Four in 10 US Catholic nuns report having experienced sexual abuse,

(a rate equivalent to that reported by American women in general), a

study by Catholic researchers supported by major religious orders,

has found. The study found that sisters have known sexual abuse less

in childhood, dispelling what the authors call an " anti-Catholic "

canard that girls fled to convents to escape sexual advances. During

religious life, close to 30% of the nation's 85,000 nuns

experienced " sexual trauma, " ranging from rape to exploitation to

harassment. A total of 40% reported a least one experience of that

kind. NCR, 1/15/99 See The Nuns' Stories for details.

The Wisconsin Psychological Association's survey found offenders

distributed among the following professions: Psychiatrists 34%,

Psychologists 19%, Social Workers 13%, Clergy 11%, Physicians 6%,

Marriage Counselors 4%, and Others 14%.

The Center for Domestic Violence found that 12.6% of clergy said

they had sex with church members. 47% of clergy women were harassed

by clergy colleagues.

The Presbyterian Church stated that 10-23% of clergy

have " inappropriate sexual behavior or contact " with clergy and

employees.

The United Methodist research (1990) showed 38.6% of Ministers had

sexual contact with church members and that 77% of church workers

experienced some type of sexual harassment.

The United Church of Christ found that 48% of the women in the work

place have been sexually harassed by male clergy.

The Southern Baptists claim 14.1% of their clergy have sexually

abused members.

At least the Roman Catholic Bishops can take heart: they're not

alone...

 

http://www.priestsofdarkness.com/stats.html

[Guest guest]

Dear Jagbir, and all

 

As I mentioned, previously, the Roman Catholic Chrurch 'broke off 'from the

Orthodox in 1054, leaving them in heresy, to the TRUE faith of God,

established in the beginning. Once THAT happened they no longer held the

power, really to be doing confessions, and blessing people and all that.

They lost the Holy Spirit's blessing on them. They divided themselves from

the source. So in the process, people came in to become priests for wrong

reasons and Should not have been there at all, wer not Holy Spirit filled

Men of God. Not saying ALL are not sincere, and many are, but led astray,

and not wanting to listen to what history has said about the beginning of

the faith. Therefore, when God does NOT have His hand on the situation flaws

as such can and probably WILL occur. Stories USED to be out that they had

sex with nuns and babies were killed basements froun in NYC, but whether

true, I do not know. I have heard all that stuff too. Some nuns left, before

their time was finished, as did not want part of corruption, well stories

and more stories. Now some people will make up stories too, about the

priests to cause divisions also. I have heard people tell me about

Protestant ministers, well bad apples can get into any organization, and

parents must be VERY careful, especially today being TOO TRUSTING of placing

their children under other peoples authority as you never know who is wierd

out there any more. I always tried to watch ALL my childrens friends, and

would not EVER leave them with strangers, and now worry about grandchildren

as things are worse, and YET the young parents are TOO TRUSTING which makes

no sense to me at all, when you deal with young innocents.

 

Carol

 

 

> " jagbir singh " <adishakti_org

>

>

> Catholic Pedophile Priests: The Effect on

>US Society

>Sat, 31 Dec 2005 03:10:18 -0000

>

>

>Catholic Pedophile Priests:

>The Effect on US Society

>

>The many flaws and omissions in the official report

>still cannot hide that this is a crisis of historical proportions.

>

>

>-

>

>

>The National Review Board for the Protection of Children and Young

>People established by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops has not

>had an easy time of determining the extent of the sexual abuse of

>minors within the American Roman Catholic Church. Not surprisingly,

>there has been considerable internal opposition. This resistance was

>so bad that long before its work was finished, its chairman, Frank

>Keating, was forced to resign after he compared the Church's actions

>to the Cosa Nostra, which rather proved his point.

>

>Certainly the fact that the report was reluctantly commissioned by

>the bishops who have been responsible for the crisis does not

>reflect well on its credibility. Nor does the fact that they only

>reason they ever did so was due to the constant and unrelenting

>pressure since the early 1990s by victims and advocacy groups, and

>later, the news media — not to mention the drain on their treasuries

>from huge settlements and dwindling contributions.

>

>Many dioceses with much to hide did not want to co-operate. The

>results are still missing from some, and the rest are spinning their

>denials and minimalizations as fast at their highly paid PR firms

>can turn.

>

>The focus was criticized as too narrow, being concerned solely with

>child sexual abuse. Other situations where clerics have sexually

>acted out with adult women and men, nuns and seminarians, have not

>been looked at; nor the effect on any offspring they may have sired

>in the process. For that matter, the personal cost to victims and

>their families remains uncounted. How many lives destroyed through

>alcohol, drugs, unsafe sex or violence have there been? How much

>abuse has been repeated by its victims? How many suicides and ruined

>families? How can the total cost ever be calculated?

>

>There has been much complaining by victims, also, that only a

>handful were asked to testify, that there was too little time and

>too many restrictions. Many, too, point out that not all victims

>have yet come forward by any means. Indeed, even if there are no new

>cases, just the repressed memories alone of the still-unrecognized

>victims will guarantee that these numbers will only increase over

>the next twenty years.

>

>And nothing has been said about multiple abusers and rings who

>swapped victims around like trading cards...

>

>Nonetheless, A Report on the Crisis in the Catholic Church in the

>United States has generated a fog of figures, which cannot obscure

>the extent of this massive failure of institutional religion. It is

>indeed a crisis. Though this is a step forward, it is not the

>solution by any means, but a half-hearted admission that there is a

>problem.

>

>Here are a few of the highlights.

>

>US clerics accused of abuse from 1950-2002: 4,392.

>About 4% of the 109,694 serving during those 52 years.

>Individuals making accusations: 10,667.

>Victims' ages: 5.8% under 7; 16% ages 8-10; 50.9% ages 11-14; 27.3%

>ages 15-17.

>Victims' gender: 81% male, 19% female

>Duration of abuse: Among victims, 38.4% said all incidents occurred

>within one year; 21.8% said one to two years; 28%, two to four

>years; 11.8% longer.

>Victims per priest: 55.7% with one victim; 26.9% with two or three;

>13.9% with four to nine; 3.5% with 10 or more (these 149 priests

>caused 27% of allegations).

>Abuse locations: 40.9% at priest's residence; 16.3% in church; 42.8%

>elsewhere.

>Known cost to dioceses and religious orders: $572,507,094 (does not

>include the $85 million Boston settlement and other expenses after

>research was concluded). (Hartford Courant, 2/27/04)

>It should be noted that 30% of all accusations were not investigated

>as they were deemed unsubstantiated or because the accused priest is

>dead.

>

>Unfortunately, however, these initial numbers are likely to be the

>only official accounting ever done by the Roman Catholic Church. As

>soon as the report was published, the UCCB acted swiftly to cut the

>National Review Board's feet out from under it. For this was to be

>the preliminary report; the audits were to be completed and a larger

>report issued. Furthermore, the Board had planned further follow-up

>reports to follow the implementation of their proposals.

>

>That will not happen now. And so the Church has lost its last, best

>chance of ever coming clean.

>

>In any case, these figures are widely suspected to be grossly

>underestimated. For example, the late Fr. Tom Economus, former

>President of the Linkup, a national survivors' advocacy group, said

>back in the mid-90s that he knew of " 1,400 insurance claims on the

>books and that the Church has paid out over $1 billion in liability

>with an estimated $500 million pending. " (Emphasis added.)

>

>He also said that over 800 priests had been removed from ministry

>and that there might be as many as 5,000 with allegations against

>them, which is not that far off. He often claimed that by far the

>most calls he received from all victims of any kind of clergy abuse

>were those from males who suffered abuse in their youth in the

>Catholic Church. Certainly these figures, which show that the

>highest number of victims were 12 year old boys and that 80% of the

>abuse was homosexual in nature, validate that anecodotal evidence,

>too.

>

>Also, Fr. Tom Doyle, a canon lawyer with more experience than any in

>these cases, has raised many questions over the validity and

>methodology of the study. He has said that he thought many cases

>were still hidden, pointing out the low numbers for the 1950s.

>

>' " It's not over with, " Doyle said. " The heart of the matter is: Why

>was there this massive betrayal? Why did they move [abusers] around

>for years, when they knew what they were doing? Why have they

>continued to re-victimize the victims by stonewalling, and why they

>have never turned in any of these known pedophiles? " '(Hartford

>Courant, 2/26/04)

>

>

>---

>-----------

>

>Additional Information from other sources

>Four in 10 US Catholic nuns report having experienced sexual abuse,

>(a rate equivalent to that reported by American women in general), a

>study by Catholic researchers supported by major religious orders,

>has found. The study found that sisters have known sexual abuse less

>in childhood, dispelling what the authors call an " anti-Catholic "

>canard that girls fled to convents to escape sexual advances. During

>religious life, close to 30% of the nation's 85,000 nuns

>experienced " sexual trauma, " ranging from rape to exploitation to

>harassment. A total of 40% reported a least one experience of that

>kind. NCR, 1/15/99 See The Nuns' Stories for details.

>The Wisconsin Psychological Association's survey found offenders

>distributed among the following professions: Psychiatrists 34%,

>Psychologists 19%, Social Workers 13%, Clergy 11%, Physicians 6%,

>Marriage Counselors 4%, and Others 14%.

>The Center for Domestic Violence found that 12.6% of clergy said

>they had sex with church members. 47% of clergy women were harassed

>by clergy colleagues.

>The Presbyterian Church stated that 10-23% of clergy

>have " inappropriate sexual behavior or contact " with clergy and

>employees.

>The United Methodist research (1990) showed 38.6% of Ministers had

>sexual contact with church members and that 77% of church workers

>experienced some type of sexual harassment.

>The United Church of Christ found that 48% of the women in the work

>place have been sexually harassed by male clergy.

>The Southern Baptists claim 14.1% of their clergy have sexually

>abused members.

>At least the Roman Catholic Bishops can take heart: they're not

>alone...

>

>http://www.priestsofdarkness.com/stats.html

>

>

>

>

>