Clergy Sex Abuse And Celibacy

GOA, Apr. 13, 2010, 09:50 Hrs (Averthanus L. D’Souza):

In the face of the growing criticism of the Catholic Church in the wake of the revelations of the sexual abuse of minors by some members of the clergy, Catholics tend to react in one of two ways. Some of them pretend that the problem is not as bad as it is made out to be by the media. Others question the wisdom of the discipline of clerical celibacy which has been the hallmark of the Latin church since the fourth century. Many Catholics who are swayed by emotions rather than by objective assessment of the problem tend to confuse the issues. There is an urgent need to sift the wheat from the chaff.

Sex “abuse” inside the Catholic Church is not something new. Church history records that even in the hoary past, clergy who were committed to celibacy sometimes failed to live up to their commitment. The sexual urge in humans is so strong and compelling that it takes more than an Herculean effort to resist it. In fact, it is the commonly held view of the Catholic Church that those – whether ordained or not – who desire to be chaste, seek the assistance of sanctifying grace which is available through the sacraments. Sinful humans, whether celibate or married, are required to restrain their biological “urges” both for their own good and for the good of society. It must be remembered that the abuse of the sexual faculty is as prevalent inside the home as it is outside. Sexual abuse is also widespread in political, commercial and other institutions. Sociologists tell us that the extent of the sexual abuse of spouses and of children in homes is far more than is reported by criminal records or newspaper articles. Violence against children is horrifyingly widespread in our societies.

Without attempting to delve deeper into the sociological and psychological causes of the sexual abuse of children, one can clearly see that much of the problem results from the cultural values which have become the stable of our so-called “liberal” society. Liberalism (specially moral liberalism) has glorified the indulgence in sex as an acceptable social activity. There is no doubt whatsoever that movements to “liberate” women (from what ?) inevitably led to the condoning of undesirable sexual practices by children. Governments, specially in the “west,” removed legal restraints in schools and colleges which were intended to protect children from premature indulgence in sexual activities. Sociological studies have convincingly shown that teenage pregnancies have steadily risen since the 1960s and 1970s. This coincided with the “women’s liberation” movements all over Europe and the United States of America. What started as a demand for political franchise for women soon snowballed into the “sexual revolution.” Instead of trying to stem the unhealthy trends, we found that people, and the governments which they elected to power, actually fostered unrestricted sexual promiscuity in society. Today, in the U.S.A. for example, teenage girls are legally entitled (in many States) to obtain abortions without even informing (leave aside getting the consent of) their parents. The educational system has been corrupted to the extent that teachers dispense condoms to their students in an effort to encourage them to indulge in “safe sex” instead of instructing them to refrain from sexual activities until they are married.

Marriage as a social institution, which is divinely ordained and which is a bulwark against moral and social decay, is under tremendous political and legal pressures. Divorce has been liberalized to such an extent that couples can now even terminate their solemn vows by what is termed “mutual consent.”

Society is coming unraveled. All the moral restraints which are essential to healthy social life are being systematically undermined. After the “liberation” of women, and the “sexual revolution,” marriage as a social institution is now being officially dismantled. Same sex unions and other forms of abhorrent and unnatural behavior are being systematically promoted. This is accompanied by a naked aggression against all religions (and in particular the Catholic Church) which stand opposed to these regressive movements.

The recent clergy sex abuse scandals should be seen within the larger sociological context of a decadent social milieu which is undermining western society, and which has even extended its pernicious influence to Asian cultures. The attacks against the Catholic Church are not so much attacks against the few clergymen who have been found guilty of abusing the trust which had been reposed in them, but these attacks are really attempts to discredit the Church as an institution. The level to which the media has descended in their efforts to defame the Church is a clear indication that the objective is other than exposing the sexual deviance of some clerics who have become the excuse for the unmitigated assault against the Church itself. Efforts are being made to discredit the Bishops, some of whom have admittedly made errors of judgement; and even the Pope himself has been targeted.

In a recent article Sam Miller, a Jewish businessman from Cleveland reported that 10% of Protestant Ministers admitted to acts of paedophilia; 12% of 300 Protestant clergy surveyed admitted to sexual intercourse with parishioners; in the United Methodist Church 38% acknowledged other inappropriate sexual contacts; 41.8% of women clergy reported unwanted sexual behavior. And only 1.7% of the Catholic clergy have been found to be guilty of paedophilia. So this is not a purely “Catholic” problem. This is in no way a defence of an indefensible problem. Even if one single priest is found guilty of sexual misdemeanor it deserves the strongest condemnation. But, the underlying problem is that the sexual scandal inside the Catholic Church is being exploited as an opportunity to discredit the Church itself as an institution.

Many Catholics, very unfortunately, attribute the unacceptable behaviour of some priests to the fact that the rule of clerical celibacy is required by the Latin Rite Church. They have expressed opinions that clerical celibacy should be abolished. They are under the mistaken belief that if Catholic clergy are allowed to marry there will be no sexual misbehavior. They are missing the essence of this discipline which goes back to the time of the Apostles. They also confuse celibacy with chastity. While celibacy demands chastity, chastity is also demanded within marriage and from Catholics who are not yet married. Chastity is a universal requirement, but celibacy is an “option” which is freely chosen by those who wish to live a life of dedication to God and his Church. It is not possible to elaborate on the advantages of celibacy. It should suffice to draw attention to the fact that two of the greatest saints of the Catholic Church – St. Benedict, who is acknowledged to be the founder of Catholic monasticism, and St. Francis of Assisi, were both laymen. Neither of them sought or received Ordination; yet they made celibacy one of the planks of their spirituality. Outside the Christian community, celibacy is highly regarded and vigorously practiced by Buddhists, Jains, Hindus and many Hindu reformist movements. The Ramakrishna-Vivekananda movement, for example, have a celibate priesthood. Women who join the Brahmakumaris take a vow of celibacy, in addition to their other vows of poverty and obedience – just as do Catholic nuns.

It is important that we do not disparage and seek the destruction of a very valuable spiritual instrument just because some of those who took the vow of celibacy failed to live up to their commitment. They need to be helped and to be forgiven, as Pope Benedict XVI has explicitly stated. While submitting themselves to legal penalties, they should not despair of the mercy of God. Neither should we, as lay Catholics, decry the valuable discipline of priestly celibacy, which is greatly appreciated even by other Christian churches and by non Christian spiritual movements.