Sex Abuse Crisis: Priest child abuse cases victimizing families; bishops lack policy response

The United States -

In cases throughout the nation, the Catholic church is facing scandals and being forced to pay millions of dollars in claims to families whose sons have been molested by Catholic priests.

These are serious and damaging matters that have victimized the young and innocent and fuel old suspicions against the Catholic church and a celibate clergy. But a related and broader scandal seemingly rests with local bishops and a national Episcopal leadership that has, as yet, no set policy on how to respond to these cases. As the articles in this issue show:

-- All too often, complaints against the priest involved are disregarded by the bishops, or the priest is given the benefit of a doubt.

-- Frequently, local bishops exhibit little concern for the traumatic effects these molestations have on the boys and their families – even though mental disturbances and, in one recent case, suicide, have followed such molestations.

-- Only legal threats and lawsuits seem capable of provoking some local bishops into taking firm actions against the priests. In some cases reported here, the priests, once identified for their offenses, have been moved to other parishes and again placed in positions of responsibility.

Read the article at The National Catholic Reporter dated June 7, 1985