More sex-pest priests nailed

By André Jurgens
Times LIVE
December 07, 2015

http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2015/12/07/More-sex-pest-priests-nailed

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier issued a public apology 13 years ago, promising sweeping reforms after sexual abuse by priests was exposed in an international scandal. Photo by JACKIE CLAUSEN

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier issued a public apology 13 years ago, promising sweeping reforms after sexual abuse by priests was exposed in an international scandal.

That painful chapter of history is back on the agenda after being made into an acclaimed film that will be screened in South Africa next year. Spotlight relates how the Boston Globe exposed clergy abuse in the US during an investigation that morphed into a global scandal.

The secretary-general of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, Sister Hermenegild Makoro, said 33 cases of clergy sexual abuse had been reported since the scandal broke in 2003.

Of those, seven were reported to police. One priest was charged and later prosecuted in Germany. Two more priests were dismissed. The remainder were either still under investigation or the complaints had been withdrawn.

"Although there still are omissions in our systems due to the size and logistics of the church, we are committed to - and constantly actively working towards - rectifying this. We acknowledge the reality of sexual abuse by some clergy, but we are committed to making changes. It is work in progress," she said.

Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, the Vatican's chief envoy in Geneva, told the United Nations last year that 848 priests had been defrocked worldwide for sexually abusing children between 2004 and 2013.

A further 2572 received other punishments. Sister Makoro said none of the defrocked priests was South African.

Reforms promised by Cardinal Napier in 2003 included drawing up a list of priest sex offenders, reporting child abuse to authorities, even if their parents declined, and stopping the transfer of predatory priests from parish to parish.

"We do have a list of sex offenders of reported cases which have been dealt with through the professional conduct committees. Cases involving the sexual abuse of minors are forwarded to the Congregation for Doctrine and Faith at the Holy See in Rome," said Sister Makoro.

Victims reporting abuse were now being offered assistance by registered psychologists. In addition to criminal proceedings, priests faced dismissal or being placed on supervised, restricted ministry - being barred from having contact with children.

Those entering the priesthood undergo a battery of psychological tests to evaluate emotional, cognitive, social and personality functioning. The assessment includes an interview to review an individual's psychological, clinical and spiritual history.

Churches in the US anticipate that more victims will come forward to report abuse after watching Spotlight.

Asked about the film, which will be released in February, Sister Makoro said: "We are not afraid of the truth, even when it hurts. We wish to see the sexual abuse of children exposed for what it is - a crime in the eyes of the state and a crime in the law of the church."