Study Reveals Vast Scope of Priest Abuse

[DaveColorado]

http://ktla.trb.com/news/local/la-me-priestdata13oct13,0,7536691.story?coll=ktla-news-1

From the Los Angeles Times

THE STATE

Study Reveals Vast Scope of Priest Abuse

Clerics accused of molestation worked in three-fourths of the 288 parishes in the L.A. Archdiocese, a Times analysis finds.

By Jean Guccione and Doug Smith
Times Staff Writers

October 13, 2005

The clergy sexual abuse scandal reached far more broadly across the Los Angeles Archdiocese — and put far more children at risk — than has previously been known, according to a Times study that examined the records of hundreds of accused priests.

Although the sexual abuse scandal has been the subject of more than 560 court claims and a report by the archdiocese, basic information on the dimensions of the problem have remained sketchy. The Times analysis is the first to quantify the breadth of the scandal in the archdiocese.

Molestations have been alleged at roughly 100 parishes. But because the accused priests moved around the archdiocese on average every 4.5 years, the total number of parishes in which alleged abusers served is far larger — more than three-fourths of the 288 parishes, according to the study, which examined records back to 1950.

-more

[DaveColorado]

1. I'm proud to call myself an ex Catholic

But I still support the Salvation Army because they do great work.

[koopie57]

4. I am a surviving catholic

:toast:

I use to go to the lutheran church until our pastor made us pray for the CONTINUED wisdom of *. Now I don't attend and church but I do believe in God. The problem really is not God, the problem is religion. All God wanted was us to be nice. I use to wonder about the commandment that said do not use God's name in vain. It seemed like he wouldn't be so petty about things, but now I think what that commandment is so people like Crazy Pat Robertson wouldn't use God's name to control people, to get their money, to get the to hate and kill. And I'm not sure if God is like I was taught. I think he might be more human than that. I don't know, it is just something I think about and wonder.

But, this priest abuse thing. A relative of mine was in the seminary. He was abused and then in turn abused me and then his kids. We all look normal and no one would believe it, but it is so painful to see the damage it caused. It has been over 30 years and it is almost daily where it affects me, actually it is daily. Counseling helps but it doesn't erase the fear, shame and confusion.

[pennylane100]

16. Unfortunately the Salvation Army discriminates against gays.

Their contract with the City of San Francisco to work with care for the homeless mandated that they offer benefits to employees with same-sex partners. They declined to do business under those terms and lost their contract. That was a big loss for both them and the City as they really work very hard caring for the needy. However, their compassion did not extend to their own employees. What a shame.

[mom cat]

30. Try the Unitarian Universalists...and have a gay old time.

[Deep13]

2. Read a similar story in "Duh!" magazine.

Aparently this is a mystery only to those perpetrating the offenses.

[mzmolly]

3. Welcome Dave.

What a sad state of affairs. It is still so hard to believe that the Catholic Church went to such lengths to PROTECT pedophiles within their ranks. They also allowed these priests continued access to children.

I wonder if the culture of the church unwittingly promoted this lifestyle or if many who are/were pedophiles chose the profession for obvious reasons? The chicken or the egg mystery I guess.

"Some people are afraid of the issue," Schettler said. "Some wish survivors would just get over it."

Get over it? Appalling!

[klebean]

18. Cause = a culture of secrecy

with the prime agenda of protecting their image. Bishops and cardinals had to swear a pontifical oath of secrecy (or be excommunicated) to protect the church from scandal - the number one sin being scandal against the church <-- (actually stated) in a document that discussed how to handle the crime of "solicitation" (defined as using one's position for "sexual favors").

This was issued worldwide in '62.
Fr. Thomas Doyle dug up this explosive little document, translated it and made it public.

The Vatican reacted issuing another secret edict (a motu proprios, which really aren't intended to be secret, in fact quite the opposite, but this is what it was called nonetheless) in 2001 saying, oh yeah - it's also a grave sin to abuse kids, but don't tell anyone except your bishop and let the church, specifically Cardinal Ratzinger, handle it.

Only the Vatican has the power to defrock a priest.

At a mock grand jury I attended last year, Thomas Doyle told the jury that the scope of abuse in the LA archdiocese would make the Boston debacle "look like an altar boy's picnic."

It is not a chicken/egg mystery. There are many reasons priests abuse children, and a small percentage of those abusers were indeed pedophiles seeking a profession that gave them access to children.

The ultimate cause however is this culture of secrecy and society's deference paid to "the Church."

I've interviewd dozens of victims; one doesn't "get over it," one learns to live with it and survive by adopting coping mechanisms. This is the principle SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) is premised upon - ending the cycle of victimization by learning the skills to survive.

[mzmolly]

20. My question is - are pedophiles drawn to the Catholic Church or

does the culture of secrecy you note, "create/encourage" them?

I realize one doesn't just "get over it." I posted a disqusting quote from the article above.

[SharonAnn]

21. It's my understanding that other churches have it but they don't

protect the offender and move him around to other churches.

Part of that might be that other churches do not have a centralized authority where ministers are assigned to a church whether the congregation wants him/her or not. Other churches often have 'search" committees and interview several before offering the position to the one they want as their minister. And the do some "due diligence" investigation about that person.

So the Catholic Church's vulnerability is that an accused priest can be protected and reassigned by the "Central Office".

"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely." This phrase was written by Lord Acton about the Catholic Church in the 19th century and was with regard to the newly announced doctrine of "papal infallibility."

[mzmolly]

25. Makes sense.

Thanks.

I was not aware that the "absolute power" phrase was written about the Catholic Church.

I am not anti-Catholic, but I am anti-absolute power in any form. ;)

[klebean]

27. yes, thanx for that bit of info

had no idea that phrase was coined in response to the 1870 infallibility edict.

[Wordie]

29. I wasn't either, but concur with the absolute power statement, absolutely!

[klebean]

28. this

So the Catholic Church's vulnerability is that an accused priest can be protected and reassigned by the "Central Office".

is spot on. it is what makes them easier to prosecute than other less centralized institutions; Jeff Anderson (lawyer w/over 20 yrs in this "business") would love to go after the Mormons, but theirs is a "lay" clergy, hence easier for their hierarchy to protect themselves.

[klebean]

26. pedophiles are drawn to any job/hobby/institution

that will give them easy access to children.

A pedophile in church has an even easier time of it; most kids who were abused came from extremely devout families, hence high levels of trust in the "men of God." Alternatively, kids from troubled homes and lives sought out a "father" figure.

Most abusers would be classified as ephebophiles (abusers of adolescents; pedophiles abuse pre-teens). The clergy have secrets on one another and all the goods they have on each other also fuels the culture of secrecy. Studies have shown the most common qualities of clergy who abuse are loneliness and emotional immaturity.

(yes - I realized that was a quote from the article; I hear it all the time and yes, it is a disgusting and thoughtless sentiment.)

[mzmolly]

31. I totally agree with what you stated.

Thanks for the reply. I was not aware that "ephebophiles" were in a different classification. I appreciate the clarification.

[Wordie]

39. Yeah...welcome to DU, Dave!

[bemildred]

5. Study Reveals Vast Scope of Priest Abuse

Clerics accused of molestation worked in three-fourths of the 288 parishes in the L.A. Archdiocese, a Times analysis finds.

By Jean Guccione and Doug Smith, Times Staff Writers

The clergy sexual abuse scandal reached far more broadly across the Los Angeles Archdiocese — and put far more children at risk — than has previously been known, according to a Times study that examined the records of hundreds of accused priests.

Although the sexual abuse scandal has been the subject of more than 560 court claims and a report by the archdiocese, basic information on the dimensions of the problem have remained sketchy. The Times analysis is the first to quantify the breadth of the scandal in the archdiocese.

LA Times

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. I repeat myself

The Catholic Church is a criminal organization, knowing that many of its members were and are actively sexually attacking children, then conspiring to hide the facts, cover them up, punish the parents who dare raise the issue, and even hide documents and priests guilty of the crimes.
The Catholic Church needs a good meeting with Mr. RICO.

[Wordie]

11. I wouldn't go that far...seems the problems had to do w/ misunderstanding

the nature of the problem, i.e. the priest was a sinner and needed forgiveness (forgetting the victim, it's true). But the church (and it's people) also do great good in the world, let's not forget.

But this is also a problem of those within the church who managed to define those that raised the issue of the problem as "anti-Catholic" or "homophobic" (although both claims are illogical). Voila! An excuse to bury heads in sand for another 10 or 15 years, until a new scandal broke and the whole thing started all over again. (And in this the Catholic church is no different than many other organizations which are profoundly resistant to criticism, however valid.)

Edited for clarity.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

12. wordie, my research shows that there were 3 huge waves of abuse

in the 1950s, there was a spike of activity, with a related, but muted, spike in reporting. People's reluctance, embarrassment, and social stone-ageism ruled the day, and despite that, the church knew it had serious problems.
At that point in time, they started a several pronged approach.

a) deny. Deny and hide the info.
b) if the allegations are serious, move the priest, preferably to another parish, if it gets worse, move him out of country
c) hire lawyers, and fight, threaten, fight some more, and threaten.

In the 1980s, the second wave hit the church harder. They knew that their "counseling" for abusive priests did not work. Prayer did not work. so they responded in a churchlike way:

a) deny. Deny and hide the info.
b) if the allegations are serious, move the priest, preferably to another parish, if it gets worse, move him out of country
c) hire lawyers, and fight, threaten, fight some more, and threaten.

In the mid 1990s, some brave, enterprising attorney managed to force a few priests and bishops into deposition. Only then was the long-standing, deliberate, and nation-wide nature of the cover-up and defense plan became known. But initially, they tried the old method that had worked so well for decades:

a) deny. Deny and hide the info.
b) if the allegations are serious, move the priest, preferably to another parish, if it gets worse, move him out of country
c) hire lawyers, and fight, threaten, fight some more, and threaten.

no more.

[Wordie]

19. Actually, in the 60s too. Not defending them, the ones who covered up,

just pointing out a baby-bathwater sort of situation.

Of course, I am not Catholic, so I don't really understand how this situation seems to a Catholic person.

[klebean]

23. Actually, sexual abuse of children has always existed in the Catholic

Church.

The Vatican has been aware of this problem for centuries; Tom Doyle, Richard Sipe, and Patrick Wall will put forth this assertion in a study to be published in a book they are collaborating on. For example, as early as the fourth century, clerics who molested boys were flogged and put in chains for six months, never again allowed unsupervised interaction with minors. Notices were nailed on church doors on how to deal with the problem. A problem that wasn't handled officially in secrecy until 1962. I think there's a correlation to the advent of television and their craven desire to maintain their image.

The difference today - in 2005 - is that the legal institution (police, the courts, judges) are less willing to be so deferential toward the church as in in the past. Also, many faithful Catholics refuse to tolerate patriarchal abuse, which, as Doyle says, is a result of the "maturing of the faithful." Let that thought sink in.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

35. so true.

my point was (badly phrased, and I apologize for it) that it bubbled up to society's consciousness, no matter how uncomfortable it was, to the extent that people took note that it really was happening.

[mopinko]

7. and the main protector of this scum serves in the vatican, where

he said the only official mass when the pope died. bernard law. followed by the election of ratzinger.
folks, where you see pedophiles protected, you are looking at an organization that is as corrupt as they come. nothing solidifies powerful men like engaging in perversion. just ask john bolton.

[cliss]

14. Your statement

is absolutely true. I think a lot of people don't want to face this hideous truth.

But if you look at the facts objectively, you cannot come to any other conclusion.

It's a corrupt, criminal organization. Just take a quick look at the mafia-type money laundering they're doing RIGHT NOW in the Vatican City. Check out the Vatican Bank.

[mopinko]

17. i wonder if we don't have to start over every 100 years or so

don't seem to be any institutions that don't get corrupted eventually. the very least we should do is figure out how to recognize them. acceptance of pedophelia would be one big red flag.
much evil has been and is being done by this church.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

36. hey, the rat was in charge globally about the policy.

law simply foillowed his bidding. the rat, (sorry, the current POPE) made the decisions of who was transfered where, why and when. He decided what documents to hide and shred, and which to produce - globally. He decided everything. Think of him as JP2's Rove. and now he is in charge.

that tells you about the entire organization. Religious? hell. Power hungry.

[mopinko]

41. power hungry and money hungry

there could be no more fitting end for the catholic church than to see them bled dry by law suits over this.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

42. precisely. That mexican priest's 40 yrs of abuse vs. his millions

If nothing else, that one episode tells you all you need to know about this valid RICO target, aka, the Roman Catholic Church.

Did I read correctly that his victims number in the thousands? Boys and girls, some as young as 7?

A seven year old, sexually abused repeatedly, can never have a normal childhood or life.

[NashVegas]

8. 70 Years

When Pope JPII claimed in the early 1990s that the abuses were a result of the sexual revolution and escapades of the 1960s, I called "bullshit."

Something like two weeks later was when Sinead O'Connor ripped up his photo on SNL.

[Tight_rope]

9. Damn...I've been waiting on this to be posted all morning...

What took you so long...I depend on DU for my news...I don't want to have to here it from my ex-coworkers....:rant:

[Ezlivin]

10. Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Gee, good Catholics wouldn't really torture people to death, would they?

Nothing done in the name of religion should be surprising.

[LatinoSocialist]

13. now THAT's a lot of testicle grabbing

goddamn these priests!

If you're touching kids testicles, you're scum. PERIOD.

[yorkiemommie1]

15. i know a victim of one of these rats

it has been a long time and nothing has been done.

[MGKrebs]

22. So are there more pedophiles in the priesthood than

in the public at large? What is the per capita comparison? And if so, what would or should our reaction be?


"To prepare its study, The Times tracked the assignments from 1950 through 2003 of 228 priests who have been named by plaintiff's attorneys or identified by the archdiocese as the subject of abuse complaints. The study does not include 19 priests whose names were released by the church on Tuesday. It also does not include as many as 30 priests whose names the church has withheld because church officials feel the complaints against them lacked credibility."

"Overall, the analysis shows that the percentage of priests in Southern California who were accused of molesting children largely tracked estimates that 4% to 5% of priests nationwide are accused."

But this is only for Southern California.

[Wordie]

37. I'm not clear on what you're saying...that the percentages are the same as

in the general population? Even if so, they are in a position where people trust them with their kids, and kids are taught to trust them, so its much worse, even if the raw numbers were found to be the same.

The effect this has on those priests who are decent people must be very painful, devastating.

[VegasWolf]

24. I am curious as to what the correlation between believing in

sky people and a fascination with pulling down little boy's pants is exactly?

[Kailassa]

32. Simple.

It's not the belief, no-one is saying the Catholic laity are abusers.

But as for the clergy, I guess that's why they joined. Pedophiles do look for places where they can be respected respect at the same time as having easy access to vulnerable, trusting kids. For as long as the Catholic Church kept its attitude of quietly covering everything up, they might as well have been advertising: "pedophiles warmly welcomed and quietly catered for."

So yes, this is just one more case of many throughout history of the Catholic Church being a criminal organisation. For anyone sceptical of that fact, read the history of the Cathars in France.

[VegasWolf]

33. I agree. Good statement! I am just skeptical of people that believe in

the supernatural.

:)

[Kailassa]

34. I'm sceptical of belief.

I don't even believe in things I "know" are true, as every sense can mislead and every assumption can be false. It's kinda like balancing on a high-wire while juggling probablitites, at times. ;-)

My favourite question out of all the ones I've been asked about belief is: "Do you believe in UFOs?"
I always answer yes to that one.

[DaveColorado]

38. Thank you guys for the welcome!!

I've posted here before under a different name though, and just lost my password due to chaning ISP emails.

:P

[WiseButAngrySara]

40. Who wrote: "The closer one gets to the Papacy, the further one gets

from God?" I think most DUers would be surprised at the author of these eternally truthful words.

Sexual perversion is a given when the church dogma artificially imposes abstinence, venerates virginity, and dictates to the 'masses' to 'go out and reproduce'...there are as many schizophrenic-inducing contradictions in the Catholic Church as are in the Right Wing Evangelical Religio-Political viewpoint, IMHO. I love the history of the Catholic Church, its' rich symbolism, and its' profound thinkers over the ages. But they are sicko when it comes to sex. And it produces sickness, not just within their own enclave, but in the broader context of society as a whole, even among those who are not in any way affected by the perversities of pedophilia