The Vatican’s circular letter to all Bishops’ conferences to assist them to develop guidelines for dealing with cases of sexual abuse of minors by clergy has received a mixed reaction. The general consensus is that it is a step in the right direction but the guidelines for handling sex abuse leave a key issue unaddressed – who shepherd the shepherds?
The letter from the Vatican is a positive step towards promoting consistency in the Catholic Church’s handling of sexual abuse”, said John Jamieson, head of the Catholic Church’s National Office of Professional Standards. “The Catholic Church in New Zealand has had guidelines in place for a number of years. All Catholic dioceses and religious orders in New Zealand follow the document ‘A Path to Healing’, which provides principles and procedures for responding to complaints of sexual abuse by Clergy and Religious of the Catholic Church in New Zealand. The document was first published in 1998 but is regularly reviewed to ensure it is up-to-date.
Many commentators think the new Vatican guidelines for handling sex abuse still leave a key issue unaddressed – who shepherd the shepherds?
- “Child abuse is by no means unique to the Catholic Church,” write Stephan Faris, “What sets the scandal apart is the sustained and widespread effort by church authorities to cover up for and protect the accused. And, in this regard, the new guidelines change little.”
- “Many attribute the failure of the church to address sex abuse to a lack of integrity, acumen or sincerity in those in authority, and often with good cause. But the problem is more fundamental. It is the theological mindset; what George Wilson SJ referes to, in his book “The Death of Priesthood” as “‘unexamined attitudes’ typical of clerical cultures: ‘Because I belong to the clergy I am automatically credible. I don’t have to earn my credibility by my performance.’ And ‘We don’t have to be accountable to the laity. We are their shepherds.’”
- “These are difficult times for all Catholics”, says Anthony Stevens Arroyo. “If you believe that the Holy Spirit is working among us, then you might hope – as I do – that the end is at hand for the clerical mentality that views all decision-making in the church as top-down. News flash: laypersons are empowered by Baptism to provide leadership to the bishops because Holy Orders do not confer infallibility. Perhaps, as the new Vatican guidelines (III:f) suggest the laity “cannot substitute” for the authority (potestas regiminis) of individual bishops: but only a fool would say that our input can never improve the bishops’ decisions. Let them be humble and ask our advice: we also are the church.”
Source
- What the Church still doesn’t get about the sex abuse scandal
- New Zealand Catholic Bishop’s Conference National Communications Office
- Time – Anthony Stevens Arroyo.
- Washington Post –Stephan Faris
- Image: UCANEWS.com