Sydney’s Archbishop Fisher denies celibacy and clergy abuse link

Anthony Fisher, the new Archbishop of Sydney, is at odds with the Church’s Truth Justice and Healing Council.

In an opinion piece in the Australian newspaper, Monday, Archbishop Fisher seemed to distance himself from the Council’s view that “Obligatory celibacy may also have contributed to abuse in some circumstances”.

The Truth Justice and Healing Council made the link in its report, released on Friday 12.

It is the first time the Church has opened the door to such a link.

Calling sexual abuse at the hands of celibate priests “sickening” and “shameful”, Archbishop Fisher went on to say “we must avoid glib explanations or simplistic solutions”.

“No one is served, least of all the survivors, by creating mythologies about child abuse.

“Some question whether this discipline should continue to be required of all priests. That conversation continues”, he wrote.

Adding, “But linking celibacy and pedophilia does justice to neither and may be a dangerous distraction.”

Fisher pointed to Australian government statistics showing 5,800 substantiated reports of child sexual abuse in 2011-12 alone.

By contrast,  he says the royal commission reports it had heard of 595 cases of clergy abuse over a much longer period, including abuse committed by married clergy from other denominations.

Fisher not being afraid of a battle

In 2008, the then Bishop Fisher was severely criticised for comments he made relating to Fr Kevin O’Donnell, a Catholic priest in Melbourne, who was accused of raping Emma and Katie Foster.

During a news conference, Fisher said a few people were “dwelling crankily … on old wounds.”

Fisher’s comments were delivered in support of the then Archbishop of Melbourne, George Pell and his handling of the accusations against O’Donnell.

In 2008, the now Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney, George Pell defended his handling of the case.

“I apologised to Emma in 1998. I met with her parents,” he said.

“Now, we offered them some financial help. We also offered them counselling for Emma.

“Emma availed herself of that counselling for 10 years and we contributed substantially towards those counselling costs.

“It’s a tragic case in every sense of the word and I repeat my apologies.”

Emma Foster went on to suffer from anorexia and drug abuse before committing suicide in 2008, while the younger sister turned to alcohol, and now needs 24-hour care after being hit by a car.

Sources

Additional reading

News category: World.

Tags: , , , , ,