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  Don't Forget Female Victims of Priest Sexual Abuse

By Gerard J. Ahrens
Cincinnati Enquirer [Cincinnati OH]
December 7, 2005

Much has been made of the Vatican's seminary investigation and pronouncement apparently designed to purge the priesthood of homosexuals ("Catholics still conflicted over gays," Nov. 28). The stated purpose of these actions appears to be an attempt to address the horrendous scandal of sexual abuse of minors by priests.

Even if church leaders are again successful, as they have been many times throughout history, in convincing the faithful to disregard scientific truth - i.e., in this case that pedophilia and homosexuality are not necessarily related concepts - the undeniable fact will remain that this purported remedy for this abuse crisis completely ignores the fact that about 20 percent of the victims of clergy sexual molestation are female.

How can the all-male Catholic hierarchy once again so blatantly devalue and disregard the experience of women?

Perhaps a better question would be: How could we expect anything different? Even if we give the originators of this absurd "final solution" the benefit of the doubt and we do not conclude that their obliviousness to female victims simply manifests their ancient prejudicial notion of woman as blameworthy temptress, we are still left with the question: How, by any stretch of the imagination, could the elimination of homosexuals from the priesthood protect females from clergy sexual abuse?

At the recent national convention of Voice of the Faithful, I was privileged to hear the witness of Barbara Blaine. A woman of incredible courage, she is a founding member the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests who, at the age of 12, was sexually abused by a priest.

In our own Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area, there are women of comparable courage who have survived such an incomprehensible physical, psychological and spiritual assault. What does homosexuality in any way have to do with their suffering, the silent suffering of other women who have not come forward, or the potential suffering of possible future female victims?

The answer, of course, is nothing. Nothing. Which is, for the most part, what the hierarchical church has done for women historically, and apparently is continuing to do.

No wonder people are so easily persuaded to believe myths of female suppression such as those promulgated in works like "The DaVinci Code." In point of fact, the reality appears to be far worse than any myth.