Church under attack?

It is unfortunate that many Catholics seem to regard the recent revelations of sexual abuse by some priests as an “attack” on the Church.

For this, the secular press must bear some responsibility. Headlines that refer to the Church as being one of “shame”, to the priesthood as “a brotherhood of silence”, and to priests not convicted of any crime as “sex pests” border on libel. While the coverage itself has not been unduly prejudiced, these headlines have been. It is not surprising that many Catholics have adopted a siege mentality, speaking of “attacks” on the Church and of mounting “defences”.

Understandable this reaction may be, sensible it is not.

The true attack has not come from the press, but from within. Had the Church, on all levels, taken adequate care to prevent such abuses and to deal with them scrupulously when they did happen, then the secular press would have nothing to write about. Simply put, the responsibility rests with us, the Church.

The notion of the Church being under attack reveals something other than a hesitation to take full responsibility. This mindset presents the Church as a victim, its reputation implicitly taking priority over the real victims, the survivors of abuse.

This is inequitable. Our principal concern here must be with the victims of abuse by Church personnel.

Catholics reading the distressing revelations in the secular press may feel tempted to challenge the integrity of those who make credible claims of having been abused. This, however, is a brutal response, one that lacks compassion and serves to perpetuate the abuse.

It also discourages victims of other sources of sexual abuse from coming forward, which clearly would be undesirable even to those inclined to dispute the scope of abuse within the Church.

The whole Church must acknowledge that some of its priests have committed deplorable crimes; that the victims of abuse are indeed casualties of betrayed trust. We must reach out to the survivors of abuse, not seek refuge from them. We must find an understanding of the devastating long-term impact sexual abuse has on victims. Many victims feel a sense of shame, self-blame, alienation and betrayal. Many will not come forward because they fear they will not be believed. Their secret suffering too perpetuates the abuse. The Church must find ways of reaching out to and supporting these people.

We would negate our Christianity if we were to respond to the survivors of abuse without compassion and solidarity.

Crucially, the Church must no longer take unilateral initiatives in addressing the problem of abuse within it. The hierarchy must on all levels engage, openly and sincerely, the victims of clerical abuse in questions such as policy, reparation and atonement. There is no better way to heal the Church.