WINTER COMMISSION REPORT Archdiocese of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.

1990

(Summary and comments prepared by Joanna Manning) FEATURES Places victims at the centre of concern Analyses theological as well as psycho-social issues Theology informed by ecclesiology of Vatican 11 and feminist perspectives CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION What factors contributed to sexual abuse by clergy? Why did it take so long for the church to respond? Perpetrators ...at the centre of these sexual abuses were men, with fiduciary responsibilities, who abused their position of priestly status and power by acting out their regressed sexuality with children. ...the sexual abuse of children...was perpetrated by persons within the institutional Church, who utilized their special spiritual and social authority within the community in the commission of their crimes. Church leaders Denied the problem which they were aware of since the mid 1970s Were only concerned with the clergy Established inadequate 'self help' programs for priests The local church's response to the pastoral and clinical needs of the victims lacked a sense of Christian compassion and contravened the basic principles which govern the Church, the people of God. Factors Two perspectives employed by the Commission: 1. Psycho-sexual dynamics of child abuse in general 2. Specific factors related to the Catholic Church. Feminism Rising feminist consciousness in and out of the church has made people more aware of the violence inherent in patriarchal culture, Cross references the Quebec Bishops' document on domestic violence which highlights the church's indirect responsibility for violence against women Child victims Are voiceless in the culture and in the church

 Represent the suffering of Christ as victim Are the sign of a prophetic tragedy that will lead to the conversion the church. The church community owes a profound debt of gratitude to them for their courage in coming forward

CHAPTER TWO: EVENTS IN THE ARCHDIOCESE Analyses individual cases in the Archdiocese Observations The abuse was had been reported since 1975 The Archdiocese gave a minimal response The Archdiocese knew about adult sexual relationships of several priests but did not act Many of the priest offenders were constantly and openly in the company of adolescent males. Society at the time was less aware of child abuse CHAPTER THREE Outlines general causes and context of child abuse: extent, historical context, education, socialization, church, media, child-rearing practices, characteristics of victim and offenders. The church context Male dominance within the church demands unquestioning obedience to authority Views suffering as desirable and unavoidable Emphasizes inherent human sinfulness Promotes unconditional forgiveness Teaches that the family must be kept together at all cost which makes the victim into a problem if the victim divulges the family secrets. Most priest offenders do not conform the pattern of classic pedophiles because they prefer adolescent males older at least 12 years old. CHAPTER FOUR Analyses the church context in more detail: Specific factors in the Archdiocese of St. John's General factors in the universal church. Observations Vatican Il emphasized the responsibility of the laity Proposed a renewed vision of the People of God But competing ecclesiologies have hampered the realization of this. Selection of priest candidates and formation for parish work is deficient in the following respects: Lack of a theology of sexuality Poorly equipped to handle the pressures of pluralist society

 Widespread confusion in the church in the 70s and early 80s after Humanae Vitae eroded church's moral authority, also when gay priests started coming out.. Decrease in priests' confidence to maintain celibacy Society has changed so much that older priests can no longer act as mentors for newly ordained. Diminishing numbers and increasing age of priests Priests should be living together for support not in isolated parishes Work of priests should be shared with laity and religious Widespread call for married priesthood from both priests and laity. The vision of church.. appears not yet to conform fully or effectively to the vision of church found in the documents of the Second Vatican Council or the ecclesiology that has been developing since the Council. CHAPTER FIVE WHY IT HAPPENED Power Viewed as a prerogative solely of clergy This leads to feeling of helplessness and passivivity on the part of the laity No structures of accountability Church functions on patriarchal model of "father figure" of authority. Paternalism and sexism permeate language, liturgy, teaching and attitudes to women. Education Catholic schools are part of the problem Inculcate subservience from an early age Compound patriarchal and paternal attitudes Teachers are afraid to deal with contentious issues Teachers lack avenues for professional communication with each other or clergy Male dominance and violence not addressed in the classroom nor are other issues of abuse Faith formation confined to childhood level Sexuality No direct link between celibacy and sexual abuse BUT mandatory celibacy creates excessive and destructive pressures for some individuals Support groups for priests have had mixed results Implicit" ecclesiology reinforces separation of priests from community and contributes to loneliness No real forum for priests to discuss concerns about e.g. increasing number of homosexual candidates Priests experiencing problems with celibacy are not counseled or treated adequately Parish structure Makes priest too dependent on bishops economically and personally Priests do not mature into independence and sense of personal identity Have high levels of concern for financial security in retirement

Priests overworked and their role ambiguous Laity view priests as distant and beyond criticism: Find it hard to work on equal level as a team Laity have no say in appointments: parishes can change dramatically with new appointments No clear vision of church articulated since Vatican Il Result is confusion and conflict Management Archbishop failed to respond to disclosures of abuse Priests allowed to remain in parishes after complaints Preservation of the system was the dominant concern of leaders: avoidance of scandal was paramount All of this protected offenders and children continued to be abused CHAPTER SIX A review of clinical literature regarding impact on victims, as few victims were available to the Commission Impact and prevention must address systemic causes Tighten up legal protection of children Recommendations (General Highlights) Church must accept full responsibility: no blaming victims Convicted priests never to return to parishes without full disclosure to community and never placed in contact with children Put adequate structures for reporting in place Better education in sexuality at all levels Parish councils should assess suitability of candidates for ordination Strengthen lay ministry Provide regular sabbaticals for priests Proper ascending scale of remuneration for priests Bishops should undertake review of theology of sex and take into account insights of human sciences Bishops should undertake review of celibacy