WASHINGTON — While allegations of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests continue to surface from decades ago, a new report shows a decrease in accusations by current minors.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops released its 2011 annual audit on abuse reports and costs April 10. The “Report on the Implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” is the USCCB’s ninth consecutive external audit.
In the report’s preface, New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the USCCB, said it “supports the conclusion of both studies done by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, that the majority of allegations are way in the past.”
“The Church must do all she can never to let abuse happen again,” said Cardinal Dolan. “And we must all continue to work with full resolve toward the healing and reconciliation of the victims/survivors.”
Dioceses reported receiving 594 credible claims of clergy sexual abuse last year. Over 90% of all abuse accusations last year allege incidents from at least two decades ago — cases in which 75% of the priests who were accused are either deceased, already removed from ministry, laicized or missing.
Three percent of allegations made during the 2011 audit period were made by current minors. Of the allegations made by current minors, seven were considered credible by law enforcement, three were determined to be false, five were determined to be boundary violations, and three are still under investigation.
“The number of credible accusations alleging abuse by a Catholic priest against a current minor went down,” said David Pierre, author of Double Standard: Abuse Scandals and the Attack on the Catholic Church. “In 2010, the number of such allegations was eight. In 2011, the number went down to seven.”
Misrepresentation by Media
In spite of the decrease in reported abuse by current minors, secular reports from outlets such as The Associated Press and Reuters seized on the overall number of claims to say that the number of child abuse cases reported rose in 2011. The total number of credible claims received in 2010 was 505, compared to 594 in 2011.
“To say that the accusation numbers are up doesn’t give an accurate portrayal of what’s really going on today,” said Pierre. “The numbers of current abuse are very low.”
Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, added, “I’ve had it. I’ve been fighting this war for years to get the media to report honestly about what the report has said. … When they look at the report they tease out the worst possible data and highlight it. It’s outrageous and it’s intentional.”
The Catholic League, in its press statement about the report, said, “The headlines should read, ‘Abuse Problem Near Zero Among Priests.’” Looking at the numbers a different way, the Catholic League stated that “99.98% of priests nationwide had no such accusation made against them last year. Nowhere is this being reported.”
“I’ve never seen an organization that was able to get a positive response for their good work on sexual abuse,” said Monica Applewhite, an expert on the dynamics of sexual abuse in educational and religious environments. “The Church doesn’t hire the media to tell us what the reports say. To learn if we’re doing enough, we should be reading the report ourselves.”
Applewhite noted that a recent study conducted by the Public Health Institute looked at media reporting on child sexual abuse. It found what Applewhite described as “superficial treatment” in news stories about sexual abuse, seldom reporting the nature of the relationship between the accuser and the accused.
“Most of these cases are relationship-based sexual abuse, but the media fails to say what the relationship was,” said Applewhite.
Other Missing Information
That’s not the only detail often left out of secular media reports. The vast majority of cases are not pedophilia. Few secular media reports cite the preponderance of abuse being perpetrated by adult males on post-pubescent males.
The 2011 audit shows that 82% of alleged diocesan victims and 94% of alleged religious order alleged victims were male.
“The John Jay study found that four-fifths of victims were post-pubescent males,” said Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, director of the Philadelphia Institute for Marital Healing. “That study showed that adult males with same-sex attraction are the most likely to become involved with adolescent males. Let’s look at the true causes of the crisis. Criminologists lack the professional training and expertise to explain why adult males homosexually abuse adolescent males.”
Not everyone agrees on this explanation, though. Karen Terry, a researcher who conducted the John Jay study, cautioned bishops in 2009 not to link the sexual abuse crisis with homosexuality, explaining that heterosexual men sometimes engage in homosexual acts.
Annual Costs
The audit also summarized the amount spent by dioceses and religious orders on legal settlements, therapy for victims, support for offenders, attorneys’ fees and other abuse-related costs.
In 2011, the nearly $74 million spent on settlements represented a 17% decrease from what was spent in 2010, while the amount spent on attorneys’ fees and other costs increased.
In total, settlement-related spending decreased from $150 million in 2010 to $144 million last year.
“There are positives to take out of the report,” added Pierre. “What other organization puts out a report annually? It’s a testament that the Church is working aggressively on the problem in a way that no other organization is doing.”
“The annual audits show that we are clearly continuing in our commitment to educate our families, protect children in our institutions, and receive with compassion those who have been harmed,” said Applewhite. “We’re really moving in the right direction, but we can never say that we are finished in this work.”
Register Senior Writer Tim Drake is based in St. Joseph, Minnesota.
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Are you suggesting ephebophilia and hebephilia are better than pedophilia? Adolescent years are when children start to become aware of their sexual feelings and are at their most vulnerable. They are even less likely than younger children to talk about it, because they may feel more responsible, and Catholics don’t like to talk about sex with their kids anyway.
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It’s still statutory rape to abuse young people who are just starting to understand their sexuality. With all your talk about abstinence only sex education, it seems you are taking the issue too lightly and it a weak defense at best for the scandal the church justly deserves.
I’m not really surprised the monitors rejected my comment.
“The vast majority of cases are not pedophilia. Few secular media reports cite the preponderance of abuse being perpetrated by adult males on post-pubescent males.
The 2011 audit shows that 82% of alleged diocesan victims and 94% of alleged religious order alleged victims were male.”
As if that makes any difference, it is ALL crimes against children. How may of the current cases were referred to law enforcement?
The church is doing a great job in this battle. Sadly, it will take a long time for this curse to pass.
The Catholic League is probably not the best source to quote. Bill blaming this on Gays was a bad choice and prolonged the pain. In my (atheist) world, he is the WBC spokesman of the RCC.
@Rodan: I’m sorry to hear you feel that way. Of course no one is suggesting that those things are “okay” where pedophilia is not—although children are more vulnerable—but the concern is also misrepresentation. It’s bad enough when you have real dirty laundry being aired without people reporting things differently than they actually are. Also, I hope you’re wrong that “Catholics don’t like to talk about sex with their kids anyway”, because that’s a good recipe for irresponsibility, the last thing Catholics need to be involved in.
Also, why do you feel that talk about abstinence education is taking the issue too lightly? I’d honestly like to know what is so unreasonable about abstinence and teaching it to young people. Even before I returned to the Church I knew it was the only guaranteed way to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. I think it’s taking the issue VERY seriously to talk about that, and I think it’s the refusal to even consider it that isn’t taking it as seriously as might be.
I’m also sorry you think anyone deserves a scandal, however wrong they acted. Why not simply wish that they would stop what they’re doing and try to make amends? I wouldn’t wish a scandal on you, even if you were guilty of worse and I knew it. If you don’t want it happening to you, why wish it on someone else?
I’m also sorry if the monitors rejected your comment, although I’m not one of them and so I can’t say anything further on the matter. Please try to take heart.
For a greater understanding of the psychological conflicts in priests with same sex attractions that made them vulnerable to homosexually abuse adolescent males, I recommend the articles in the Catholic Medical Association’s Linacre Quarterly, 2011, on responding to the abuse crisis available online at http://lq.cathmed.metapress.com/content/q136857458l7/.
For crying out loud, Rodan, of course not. Not better or worse. Just different.
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Rover, I agree, I was going to share this article in its entirety and that made me change my mind.
First, my apologies—it was too soon to think you rejected my comment.
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I agree that, with the media’s emphasis, most people think that the abuse was done to children below 10 years old at best. It does side-step the real issue of most cases of sexual abuse. The media has turned into an entertainment industry of sorts—sound bites that shock and awe make more money than long articles that would explain the details of an issue.
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Also, you misinterpreted my point. I mentioned abstinence ONLY education, maybe by mistake on this post, because of another exchange on the pregnancy vs. birth rate post. Abstinence education, along with other comprehensive sex education makes good sense. A young person just approaching or experiencing adolescence, however, is especially vulnerable because new, hormone induced, emotions conflict with the simple teaching of the consequences and “sin” of sex before marriage. Do I have to explain how a trusted Catholic authority in charge of youth activities is in an ideal position to abuse? Teenagers and “tweens” are more likely to feel guilt and/or enjoy the secrecy of a “special” relationship—it’s the stage of separation that is part of growing up.
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I’m afraid that abstinence only “education” is inadequate in helping young people realizing when some one is taking advantage of them, among other things. It’s not just a question of “just say no”—sometimes you have to know when to fight. Everyone is expected to respect a religious person, especially one with a title like “Father,” “Sister,” or “Your Holiness.” Many adults have this same respect for authority of clergy, and humiliation that they have trusted an abuser. They don’t want to expose either their children or their parish priest.
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I am ignorant about something—is defense against rape included in abstinence only “education?” If so, what is taught? If not, why not?
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How is someone supposed to know they have done evil without a scandal? A scandal is a consequence of evil, just as an STD is one of the possible consequences of extramarital sex. I wouldn’t wish a scandal on you, unless you did something evil that should be recognized. Would you not wish John Wayne Gacy or Jeffrey Dahmer(sp?) to be protected from scandal? How do you get social justice unless the crime is exposed?
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I’m guessing you don’t think some one who is innocent of any wrong should not be subject to a scandal. The church is subject to a scandal, and they are working to make amends and prevent future abuse. This is a good thing that would not have happened if there hadn’t been a scandal.
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I’m fairly certain that I have done nothing to cause a scandal, but if I were guilty of any wrong, I would deserve the scandal as part of any other consequences I deserve.
Repeat after me: H-O-M-O-S-E-X-U-A-L-I-T-Y!
@Deacon Ed Peitler—I agree that the homosexual aspect of the scandal is getting the major attention of the media, but don’t underestimate the harm that has been done to females as well.
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http://www.uni.edu/vanworme/articles/priest.pdf
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http://www.snapnetwork.org/female_victims/female_victims_index.htm
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Also, the abusers are not just the male members of the church. You will note in the articles above, nuns and female pastors (in other Christian sects) have physically and sexually abused minors.
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Female victims are getting less attention because it is more “normal” than homosexual abuse. This is also a deep injustice.
How many of the cases that can be “counted on two hands” were reported to law enforcement?
@Rodan: Rebuking and scandal are two different things. Sinners are supposed to be rebuked in private. Scandal all too often and all too easily leads to people thinking badly of those being scandalized, rather than pitying them and praying for them as they ought.
Scandals are like laundry marks—they don’t wash off so easily, even after steps are taken to make amends.
I am concerned that so much emphasis is almost always given to the abuse of minors (be they children, or teenage boys and girls). How about clergy that date other men, or women, and then father children by the women, and do not take responsibility for child-rearing?
There are too many cases of this, and it does not give a good testimony for the Christian faith. I object. Looking at abuse of adults by clergy is imporant. Lastly, looking at the abuse of alcohol by priests - that is self-destructive, is also an issue. It is all abuse, and not healthy.
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