Experts Discuss Why the Struggles of Priests Are So Well Publicized

By Patrick Cooley
Cleveland.com
November 8, 2013

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/11/post_206.html

The Rev. James McGonegal, left, speaks with his attorney Henry Hilow before his arraignment in Cleveland Municipal Court Tuesday. McGonegal, a priest at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church, was arrested at Edgewater Park on charges for soliciting sex.

More than 30 people were charged on suspicion of soliciting for sex in Cleveland in October, but only one made the news. That one was James McGonegal, pastor of St. Ignatius of Antioch, a West Side Catholic church, and he is accused of soliciting sex from an off-duty ranger at Edgewater Park on Oct. 11.

McGonegal's arrest made headlines in every major northeast Ohio media outlet. Reporters attended mass the weekend of his arrest, and camera crews from television stations camped out near the venerable stone church on Lorain Avenue, hoping to convince parishioners to speak on the record.

“It’s important to remember that many people are arrested for soliciting, and most of them are not priests,” said Candice Risen, a therapist for Levine, Risen and Associates, a Beachwood practice which deals with marital and sexual issues.

Priests however, tend to receive more scrutiny after such an arrest.

"Some would say it's because of the anti-Catholic bias in the media," said the Rev. Donald Cozzens, a writer in residence at John Carroll University.

But he said it's more likely that their status as a moral authority makes their arrests more noticeable. Catholics tend to have a lofty notion of priesthood, Cozzens said, which can be difficult to live up to, and can make a public failure or embarrassment all the more biting.

Cozzens said he knew McGonegal, and couldn't comment specifically on his case. He did say McGonegal "is a talented priest, and we're praying for him."

Catholic priests, regardless of their sexual orientation, can struggle with a call to celibacy, Cozzens said. The isolation priests can face can make it more difficult to express their sexuality or discuss sexual confusion, Risen said.

“If someone has not been able to express their sexuality in an emotional way, that is more of a driving force (for seeking anonymous sex),” Risen said.

“They’re more likely to be sexually and emotionally isolated because they wear the robe,” she said. “They don’t have as many opportunities to let their hair down and be themselves, and many of them don’t have close personal friends.

“There’s a value to having close personal friends, and many priests don’t have that,” she said. “They move from parish to parish, they’re addressed as 'father', and that’s a role they never get to live down. Some handle that better than others.”

Priests face many of the same sexual issues non-priests face - including being confused about their sexuality or unsure of where to find intimate relationships - but with the addition of celibacy, Risen said.

Celibacy is hardly the only reason to seek out anonymous sex, she said.

On Oct. 25, a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted McGonegal on a felony charge of soliciting sex and two lesser charges of abusing harmful intoxicants and public indecency. Because McGonegal failed to reveal that he is HIV-positive, the solicitation charge is a third-degree felony.

The diocese has been mostly silent on the issue, releasing only brief statements, the first of which said the church will fully cooperate with authorities.

Many Catholic priests are required to abstain from sex for life, and are barred from marriage.

Catholic rules regarding celibacy can be confusing, as not all priests are required to remain celibate. Priests who convert to Catholicism from other denominations and are already married, for example, are allowed to remain married.

The Catholic Church has only had mandatory celibacy for certain priests since the 12th century, Cozzens said.

"Eastern rite priests, we don't have many of them, but they can marry before they are ordained," he said.

Roman Catholic priests, specifically Latin rite priests, are nearly always required to be celibate, Cozzens said.

Several members of McGonegal's congregation shared their thoughts on his arrest, although most asked that their names not be used. They described the pastor as kind and compassionate, and said in his sermons he would try to demonstrate the real-world application of biblical passages.

Many said they were shocked and saddened when they learned of his arrest.

McGonegal was charged on suspicion of solicitation after police said he exposed himself to an off-duty park ranger on Oct. 11.

A report said the pastor sat in his late-model SUV in the afternoon hours and offered the ranger $50 to help him "get off," and then started masturbating.

McGonegal was absent from mass the weekend of his arrest. The diocese released a statement saying he was taking time off to deal with personal issues, and his status is under review.

Willow and McGonegal declined to discuss the case after their last court appearance.