Blaming Homosexual Priests for Sexual Abuse Scandal Is Wrong
By Robert Coleman
‘We need to acknowledge the findings of credible research’ The belief that homosexual priests are the cause of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church is gaining traction. While it is widely acknowledged that we need to understand the roots of the problem so as to effect change, healing and justice, we should be wary of being comforted by simplistic answers. Think for a moment about the claim that homosexual priests are to blame for the abuse. What that suggests is that the homosexual orientation causes, predisposes and compels a man to engage in sexual predatory behaviour against children. Thus it is a risk factor by its very nature. Such a position, however, is not supported by scientific research as conducted by experts in psychology and behavioural studies. In fact, research has shown that the vast majority of sex offenders who victimize children are actually heterosexual men who most often victimize their own family members. As a heterosexual man, therefore, I am statistically much more of a threat to sexually abuse a minor. Is that because my heterosexual orientation causes, predisposes and compels me to sexually abuse children? Is it a risk factor by its very nature? I somehow think that most people would recognize the absurdity of that proposition and reject it outright. So why don’t we recognize it as being equally absurd when we make such a claim about a person with a homosexual orientation? Could it be that we view heterosexual orientation as normal and homosexual orientation as abnormal? That would indicate that the homosexual orientation is a mental disorder. Again that is simply not supported by science. I refer you to the gold standard study on sexual abuse by clergy conducted in 2011 by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The study, ‘The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States 1950-2010’, concluded that “no single cause of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests is identified as a result of our research.” In fact, it discovered that the majority of abusers were not even pedophiles in the true clinical definition of that disorder. They were “situational generalists.” Those are individuals who, due to psychological and emotional deficits in bonding with peers, and developing intimate relationships with adults, turn to children as a substitute. Age and gender of victims are not primary or exclusive factors as with pedophilia. Rather, they were “indiscriminate offenders”; opportunists who targeted whoever was around them, whoever they had unsupervised access to, regardless of age and gender. But why was it that the vast majority of children who were abused by clergy were boys? It was a matter of availability. Historically, males assumed far more roles in Church activities such as sports and liturgies. The John Jay College report maintains, however, that this male clergy to male victim sexual contact did not constitute homosexual behaviour in the majority of abuse cases. It was much more the behaviour of psycho-sexually immature men who had opportunity and access. I refer you also to one of the leading experts on clergy sex abuse. Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., is professor of psychology at Santa Clara University and adjunct professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. He has written and lectured extensively on the topic and consistently offers balanced insights. He has stated that, “Sexual orientation by itself is irrelevant to child sexual abuse behavior or risks.” His conclusion is clear – homosexuality is simply not a risk factor for the sexual abuse of minors. We either choose to get to the truth about the abuse and its causes or we choose to live with smallness of mind. We need to acknowledge the findings of credible research. We cannot be a Church that ignores scientific conclusions when they don’t match our pre- conceived notions. Above all we need to examine why the Church’s screening, selection and human formation processes for ordained ministry were so inadequate as to have not discovered such dysfunctional and abusive tendencies prior to ordination. It is just plain wrong to make homosexual priests the scapegoat. It only adds injustice to injustice and victimization to victimization. It reinforces in the public domain the already existing view that the Church is a purveyor of homophobia. For God’s sake let us not walk such a craven path. Robert F. Coleman is an ordained permanent deacon with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish. He lives in Sydney with his family and works full-time as a career development practitioner.
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