The sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church is a significant problem. We need to understand its root causes to properly deal with it. Partial solutions might help in the short term, and for a small group of people, but such partial solutions are only band-aids. Putting them in place, though helpful, must not be seen as doing what needs to be done. Much of what has been done by Church officials feels as if this is all they have to offer: band-aids, and then they tell us how proactive they are and we should feel satisfied. They ignore the wound itself; they might cover it up with a band-aid, but the wound itself is infected, and unless that infection is dealt with, it will fester and create a greater crisis in the future. As long as officials complain more about the media coverage than they do anything about the crisis itself, as long as they show more interest in saving face than they do in helping the victims of abuse, there will be no long-term solution.
But it is not just ecclesial officials who are suggesting band-aid solutions to the problem. Many groups, who already disagreed with official ecclesial discipline, have used the problem to suggest their own desires be enacted, and to claim if they are, all that needs to be done will be done and the problem will be solved. One great example of this is with those suggest opening up the priesthood to married priests will solve the problem. They have a few good reasons for this, as we shall soon see, but in doing so, they ignore the real problem. If there are married priests, the problem itself will not go away. If one looks at those religious traditions which have some sort of married clergy, or even secular traditions where married men and women are put in positions of authority over children, we will see child sex abuse continues. One can read about sexual abuse within the Orthodox Church here. One can read about some of the sexual abuse within Protestant communities here. One can read about all kinds of sexual abuse in the public school system here. In these other groups, there is no mandatory celibacy, and yet the abuse remains a constant. This shows that there is indeed something more to the issue than the question of marriage.
However, this is not to say that marriage might not help some people deal with the problems which could otherwise make them break down and end up becoming abusive. Priests are human, but they are often treated as if they were anything but human. If they feel alone and isolated, depression could easily set in. I have known priests who have admitted to such depression, even to having admitted that they have broken down and sought psychological help for it. This, however, is very rare. A person who is alone and suffering from depression is not likely to seek that help. They need someone to motivate them to get it. If no such person is there, that depression will break them down. They will begin to care less and less about themselves, let alone those who happen to be around them. They will know how to put on a show, and they will learn how to play upon appearances so that others do not suspect their depression, but inside, they are wounded, and not thinking straight. Their desire will be to find a way out of the pains of depression, however they can get to it. This is the kind of situation which allows for abuse: the priest has learned how to act right in front of others, but, due to their depression, they have lost much of themselves; indeed, their emotions will be all out of order, with the feelings of sorrow and despair being so great, that any other will be lost. Desperation sets in, and they will seek for release. Abuse becomes that release; it gives them a sense of self worth through power. It is not, of course, the right release, nor does it offer the release they seek, and if they were in their right frame of mind, they would know it. But they are not. And when what they have done is uncovered, they will be so caught up in the habit of abuse, they might not be able to break free from its bondage in this life. Marriage, for such people, could have helped them, and helped them get help before they went so far along that they cannot be properly healed. On the other hand, marriage, as we know, is not a fix for all people, and indeed, it creates its own pressures and need. It is not a universal solution, though it could help many deal with their personal needs which are currently not being met. It is for this reason, I do see the argument for allowing married priests, but again, it seems to be the argument of which kind of band-aid is best to put on an infected wound.
Our priests need a better sense of community, of belonging. Those who bring up the possibility of married priests understand this in part. But even married priests will feel as if they are set aside and not belong. If their marriage is not strong, it will create even more desperation. This can probably explain why many in other religious traditions do break down and abuse others. Even if we decide that the discipline should change, and there can be married priests in the West, this must not be seen as the final solution. When treated as such, it will fail. Indeed, although sex is involved, the core issue is much deeper than the desire for sex.
We must be willing to look to the situation and engage it on all levels, and not expect a simple, single solution will be a cure-all for the problem itself. Indeed, as medicine itself shows, what can cure one person can kill another. The problem is no one wants to look at all the issues, they only want to look at it according to their particular agenda. Each agenda has something which must be considered, but none of them must become the central means by which this crisis is tackled. Hopefully we will, as a community, understand this and have a real open and frank talk, discussing not only the agendas as they have come out, but what has yet to be discussed. We must be open and frank. We must be humble. We must confess our sins, and take our proper penance. Isn’t that what we have been taught as Catholics? So why do we try to do otherwise when the institution itself fails?
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In