Vatican Report Calls U.S. Abuse Policy Too Strict
By FRANK BRUNI
VATICAN CITY, Feb. 23 — A report on child sexual abuse that the Vatican released today found fault with and challenged American bishops' zero tolerance policy of seeking to remove from ministry any Roman Catholic priest who has abused a child.
The 219-page report, titled "Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: Scientific and Legal Perspectives," cast that policy as an overreaction by Catholic leaders in the United States to a public outcry and as a potentially counterproductive way to keep children safe from sexual abuse.
The report included expressions of concern that sexually abusive priests who are cast out of ministry and pushed away from the Roman Catholic Church might be more likely to abuse again, due to their isolation and a lack of monitoring of their behavior.
"Although until now the phenomenon of abuse was not always taken seriously enough, at present there is a tendency to overreact and rob accused priests of even legitimate support," wrote one of the editors of the report, Dr. Manfred Lütz, in its conclusion. Dr. Lütz, a German psychiatrist, is a member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity here.
The other two editors are not connected to the Vatican, and the report mainly presents the perspectives of those two scientists and six others. None of the eight scientists are Catholic; all are experts in the study or treatment of sexual abuse.
Posted by P6 at February 23, 2004 09:49 PM
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Comments
The report included expressions of concern that sexually abusive priests who are cast out of ministry and pushed away from the Roman Catholic Church might be more likely to abuse again, due to their isolation and a lack of monitoring of their behavior.
This at least sounds like a valid concern.
Posted by Al-Muhajabah at February 24, 2004 11:35 AM