When the issue of clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church broke open in the media in 2002, the focus was rightly placed upon the suffering of victims, the duplicity of the abusers, and the mistakes that church leaders made in past decades in understanding and effectively dealing with the problem of abusive priests.
In the three years since the crisis gained national attention, however, very little media attention has been focused on the tremendous strides the church has made in creating safe environments for children. And more troubling, the persistent focus of media attention on the scandal itself has helped create an impression in the public's mind that the Catholic Church has done almost nothing to deal with the problem, and that sexual abuse is a problem largely limited to the Catholic Church itself.
But statistics related to incidents of sexual abuse indicate that the problem --- and its reporting --- extends far beyond the boundaries of the church, going deep into the very fabric of society itself. Consider the following information from recent studies on sexual abuse:
---1 in 10 adult men and 1 in 5 adult women say they were molested before the age of 18.
---Nearly 10% of public school children nationwide --- 4.5 million --- have suffered some form of sexual abuse in the school environment.
---42% of men and 33% of women who were victims of childhood sexual abuse never told anyone.
A recent edition of the NBC News magazine, "Dateline," dramatically showed that sexual predators of children come from all walks of life, and include those we tend to trust and respect the most. Two adults posing as young teens in Internet chat rooms, invited men interested in having sex with them to a suburban home in Virginia. Hidden cameras caught a rabbi, an emergency room doctor, a special education teacher, an Army sergeant and several other men arriving at the home. Indeed, sexual abusers defy easy stereotyping.
In declaring child sexual abuse a "global problem," Charol Shakeshaft, a well-respected educational researcher at Hofstra University, has said that statistical evidence does not support the perception that sexual abuse in the Catholic church is any greater than sexual abuse in other private and public organizations. At a recent conference in Los Angeles, Shakeshaft noted that the Catholic Church is at the forefront of sexual abuse prevention policies and procedures locally and nationally.(1)
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles' approach to protecting children is multi-layered and comprehensive. The goal is to provide parents, guardians and children themselves with the knowledge to spot and report behavior that might later lead to abuse. For those who have already suffered abuse, the Archdiocese provides an Assistance Ministry program to help victims and their families recover from the physical, mental and spiritual damage wrought by abuse.
Here is a snapshot overview of what is being done in the Archdiocese to protect children from harm:
Training programs in sexual abuse prevention
Every person working with children and youth in the Archdiocese is mandated to attend a training program focusing on how abuse is perpetrated both by adults and by other children. More than 24,000 parents, priests, teachers, staff and volunteers in the Archdiocese have undergone training through an abuse prevention program known as VIRTUS. The training involves interactive sessions that include video segments featuring sexual abusers who describe how they gained the confidence of parents and children. Knowing how abusers identify and "groom" their targets is critical in learning how to spot and prevent abuse from happening and how to create safe environments for all.
Fingerprinting and background checks
The Archdiocese requires all priests, teachers, and other parish employees, staff and volunteers who work with children to be fingerprinted. Fingerprints are run through a criminal database, and anyone with a prior history of child abuse or endangerment is permanently barred from church ministry. More than 7,000 Catholic school teachers and staff have been fingerprinted and cleared by authorities to work with children. Additionally, more than 7,000 parish and school employees and volunteers have been fingerprinted and cleared to work with children.
Outreach to victims of abuse
Victims of sexual abuse are cared for by the Archdiocese's Assistance Ministry Office. The office provides assistance towards healing by means of therapy, spiritual direction and mutual support groups. Sister Shiela McNiff, who has over 20 years of experience in outreach ministry, clergy misconduct issues, assessment and counseling, coordinates the office. Sister Sheila has worked together with victims of abuse who volunteer in the office to create special healing services for victims of clergy abuse and their families.
Policies and procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse
The Archdiocese has comprehensive policies and procedures for clergy and all employees that govern correct behavior toward children and youth. These policies also include procedures when abuse is alleged, and penalties if that abuse is found to have occurred. A Clergy Misconduct Oversight Board monitors all Archdiocesan policies and procedures related to sexual abuse by clergy. The Board is comprised of 13 people, 11 of whom are lay persons. Among the Board's members are a parent of a child abused by a priest. All cases of clergy sexual misconduct are presented to the Board. The Board receives a report of each allegation lodged against a priest or deacon, reviews all relevant information, and makes a written recommendation to the Archbishop.
Screening of seminary candidates
When a man approaches the Archdiocese with the desire to become a priest, he must first undergo a rigorous and thorough screening process before he can be considered as a candidate for entry into St. John's Seminary. The process includes in-depth personal interviews, an assessment of the person's potential suitability for a lifetime commitment to celibacy, and a series of psychological tests and interviews.
Seminary formation
Prior to ordination, a candidate for priesthood goes through a lengthy evaluation period, including an internship during which he lives in a rectory and works with priests, staff and parishioners. During this time, the candidate is judged as to his suitability to be a priest. No one is ordained unless the staff of St. John's Seminary, including the lay faculty and formation advisors, concludes that the candidate has attained an emotional, psychological and sexual maturity appropriate for his age and for the celibate life of a priest.
1. The Tidings, April 15, 2005.
At a Glance: Protecting our children
---Sexual abuse is prevalent in society, and sexual predators defy easy identification.
---Training in abuse prevention is critical in identifying and stopping behavior that can lead to abuse.
---The Los Angeles Archdiocese has been hailed as a leader in preventing sexual abuse of children by an educational expert on abuse.
---The Archdiocese employs a multi-layered approach to abuse prevention.
---Thousands of Archdiocesan personnel have been trained in abuse prevention and fingerprinted and cleared to work with children. |