On pastoral abuse, celibacy, cover-ups & passing the buck

Gleaner's Lasmay addressed it in 2010

As the furore surrounding the numerous cases of pastoral sexual assault continues, the selectivity by some church related groups is disturbing to say the least. The rapidity of the allegation crossing denominations only adds more of an abominable stench indeed abominations outside the Levitcal posture to the already rotting flesh in the department of trust and power by what is supposed to be trusted and honest clergymen. Something rots in Denmark! What is also coming to the fore is the perceived secrecy indeed cover-ups by some leaders and groups as they try to deflect the national scrutiny since the Moravian pastor allegations of the assault of a minor with a married pastor.

also see:

Betty Ann Blaine | Sex Abuse And The Church: Reveal, Repent And Redress (Gleaner) and Betty Ann Blaine on the big gay lie .......... you do the comparison. I agree with her on the call to Report child molesters and Public Theology Forum | Is It Just A Little Sex? - Church, Sex And Power (Gleaner)

The generalized prayer, the brushing over of the challenge by turning the scrutiny on non-Christians and their sins with the ‘enemy’ as the cause continues as it were instead of an open and honest introspection we get non traditional church voices to include antigay groups blaming traditional churches such as the Catholics who are “afflicted” with that problem; a recent ‘not in our church’ sub texted discussion on The Breath of Change, TBC radio suggested or that sort of thing does not happen in our church. There may be some truth to that given the hundreds of years the Catholic Church has been around and the historical records from as back as the 11th century shows us the appearance of an organised cover-ups running all the way up to successive Popes under whose tenure the problem occurred and continues almost unabated.

New has come to hand (as I did the draft of this entry) thanks to the BBC that a female chief member of the group addressing clerical (one of two previously abused) abuse has resigned even as she suffered abuse in the 1960s. The Irish woman from Dublin is now 70 years old and at the time of her ordeal she was 13 years old. Her idea was called AWARE which included hotline services especially in safeguarding children, counselling and some action against clergy found wanting. Strangely in the first year of the commission’s in 2014 existence there was no office space allocated and no staff which gives the appearance of deliberate obfuscation and efforts to frustrate the processes. Cover-up! The commission was not given any list of designated staff in the various Vatican departments with whom the commission could liaise; the commission then recommended that a tribunal be put in place whereby negligent priests could be held accountable, this was something that was approved by Pope Francis in 2015 but suddenly the congregation for the doctrine of faith said there were some legal difficulties and the tribunal was never implemented.

See her statement HERE then there was this: 1st  March 2017 Press Release from the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors

On Monday, February 13, 2017, Mrs. Marie Collins, a Member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors [PCPM] advised Cardinal Sean O’Malley, President of the PCPM, of her intent to resign from the Commission effective March 1, 2017.

Mrs. Collins, a Member of the Pontifical Commission since its inception in 2014 is a survivor of clerical abuse, and consistently and tirelessly championed for the voices of the victims/survivors to be heard, and for the healing of victims/survivors to be a priority of the Church.  In discussing with the Cardinal, and in her resignation letter to the Holy Father, Mrs. Collins cited her frustration at the lack of cooperation with the Commission by other offices in the Roman Curia. 

Mrs. Collins accepted an invitation from Cardinal O’Malley to continue to work with the Commission in an educational role in recognition of her exceptional teaching skills and impact of her testimony as a survivor.

What is also strange is that in 2015 another previously abused member who was also on the committee was sidelined after they announced the entire exercise was mere window dressing. But such are bureaucracies eh. Marie Collins the woman in question said that she was appreciative of the Pope’s leadership and said that he actually isn’t the problem. 

“The Pope is doing his best and he has made it very clear to church leaders around the world what he expects in regards to dealing with child abuse and with anyone who might abuse; but I think within the Vatican itself is a sort of a bubble there are just that small core who still I think don’t get it.” She said to a BBC reporter.

While Mrs Collins (Twitter) was able to fight through these bureaucratic obstacles her position became untenable according to her, when she was told by one Vatican department that they would not ensure all correspondence from victims would receive a response and for her it is the victims of abuse that require the greatest care and rightly so. She decided to resign. The president of the commission itself has expressed deep appreciation for Mrs Collins’ work while several newspapers in the Vatican have been paraphrasing those thoughts garnered from the Pope himself, the president also says he will offer prayers for Mrs Collins and all victims of abuse. That sounds more to me as a thinly snicker in a position of defeat by Mrs Collins, in other words glad she has left and now we can proceed under the guise of offering prayer. 

Meanwhile locally we could easily site some of the obfuscation at the Vatican and other foreign based orders designed to divert or deflect and questions, we are seeing Pentecostals, Seventh Day Adventists, Church of God structures and 

UPDATE: Revivalist Pastor arrested in Spanish Town today. Pastor to be charged following allegations that he molested a 14y.o. boy.

— Abka Fitz-Henley (@AbkaFitzHenley) February 5, 2017

Pocomania/Revivalists as a recent case shows, other denominations are factoring which suggests there are other things we may be missing and are festering out of sight but slowly coming to the fore. Who knew the dark secrets all along and did nothing? What do the governing structures of these denominations know and have been deferring or sweeping under the rug? Is the rug now two inches away from the ceiling regarding this matter? Newspaper articles barely skirting the issue of sexual assault by pastors directly while presenting the issue in a generalised context only gives the impression of a kind of intellectual dishonesty about it all; after all the said dishonesty has been used to magnify charges of paedophile intent by gays, grossing out perceptions of anal sex to include scatting or felching when we do not on a wide scale go to such extremes. It is the magnitude of the arguments that make the charges and stigma convincing hence the homophobic trap we find ourselves in. Also see: Dr Wayne West’s continued intellectual dishonesty on fisting felching & chariot racing by homosexuals in Jamaica

The resignation of Pope Benedict is widely believed it is the pressure he met with given the underbelly of the abuse of power by members of the Vatican and at monasteries worldwide, our local archbishop had said that he is not aware of any reports of such abuse, but if we are to go by the fear factor to report powerful bishops and men of the cloth things will remain under the carpet. Impacted individuals will simply not come forward, the US African American evangelical preacher Eddie Long’s case some years ago showed up the complexities of misuse or abuse of pastoral power and lesser powered individuals who often cannot say no or do not know how to in the face of a pastor who is supposed to be next to be infallible; albeit that Long case had a same gender element but the gender of the abused is immaterial and they feel abused. Sadly the unwavering support by congregants is also disturbing as they seem blind to the allegations as in the Long case is also reflected in the pending court cases locally to wait and see what evidence comes forth and the cussing out of the media as if they are the ones castigating the accused while using prayer and the ‘enemy’s fault’ in a victimhood ploy i.e. pastors/priests are infallible.

As the Moravian case and the misguided Hampton High School principal’s intervention by blocking the media from trying to interview the accused even as she helped to post bail for the man has shown us; now the school’s good name and image has been brought into disrepute, as she refuses to resign, in recent weeks much more is slowly coming out to suggest she and others including the wife of the accused who are board members of the school knew of some of the shenanigans but kept it hushed, the usual do not upset the apple cart mantra in governance structures. How various systems and terms over time have made the discourse of the lower powered position such as pregnant teenage mothers but what do we call the men who got them pregnant, normal!

Why is it that the congregants simply do not question pastors on certain things or check them by holding them accountable? Often engaging in victim blaming and seek to justify it. They and other supporters also seek to cuss out the media as they seek to cover the matters outside the courtrooms. The half hearted press releases and convenient narratives by antigay groups such as Jamaica Coalition for a Healthy Society, JCHS and its youth affiliate Lovemarch is insulting to say the least; their recently concluded seminar 

on sexual abuse some days ago focused more so on national sexual abuse by non-Christians as opposed to clerical abuse within the church as a whole, all this while charging a fee to enter but when compared to the antigay push mass rallies are held without any charge to attend, numerous documentaries are paid for by them, they fly in foreign antigay voices, sell DVDs and books to earn income while footing the bill for high priced attorneys in the ongoing buggery constitutional matter yet our homeless need help nationally, children’s’ homes need help other societal ills sit right before us. That ‘it’s you others and not us’ subtexts rang loud and clear in the materials that have since been released and the groups skirt around the matter that requires deep introspection.

It is sad that with one God we have so much division and denominational strife, and then there is the business of celibacy as forced in some instances on the priesthood following on theological narratives by Augustine and others while not realising there would have been disastrous consequences in hundreds of years to come. Celibate priests sought to seek the moral advantage over carnal laity while launching a massive re-commitment to helping the poor; however the unintended consequences still are with us today as the histories prove. Part of the new social activism was schools for poor children ran by priests known as pious schools, the combination of strict clerical celibacy with clergy involved in education made for the fermenting of freaks wearing a frock and a collar being created over time. All this happening while a sustained push to all but silence women in the church and or labelling free thinking women as witches in order to punish them, the published Witches' or Malleus Maleficarum is proof of that misuse of church power and was the guide to priests and inquisition judges that instructed how to effect the punishments. The monopolization of marriage under Pope Gregory VII in 1073 only sought to secure church power over persons while also making women as second class and fattening church coffers.

A historical perspective

In 1600 an honest priest named Joseph Calasanz in Rome started a school also known as the Pious or peerists order from which it was great success for the better part of twenty years, however cracks started to show despite strict rules of engagement in terms of priests who were not allowed or should not be alone at any given period with students. The order of the was supposed to be a deeply austere arrangement where narratives such as the priesthood must be seen angels devoid of all cravings or carnal affection of the flesh and so on. It did not work out as he planned and Calasanz became all too aware of the abuse cases that were on the rise when priests are left alone with the children, mostly boys. In 1629 disturbing reports got to Rome on one of the biggest schools in the network in Naples as the young headmaster was accused of sexual abuse. His name was Stefano Calbrini, fully aware of the damage the order may face if it went public sadly the founder Calasanz succumbed to fear and ordered the whole affair to be hushed up and the documents relating to the matter were burnt.

Instead of removing Stefano from the order he was promoted to visitor general of all the schools effectively removing the culprit from the scene of the crime while simultaneously given him access to more boys. It did not end well, father Stefano conspired to disgrace the founder in the eyes of the Pope and successfully forced the founder out of the order and took his place; it took the pious authorities close to half a century to recover. All this happened despite the leadership being aware of father Stefano’s issue including the Pope but did not anything, this was an extraordinary failure of power and trust, the very people dictating the moral agenda were openly defying it. The abuse of children covered up, denied and excused, the trust of many betrayed. My layman’s look at this is that a man starved or forced to be celibate can only lead to issues later, it’s like non conjugal visits to prisons and over time sexually frustrated men find substitutional sex avenues and psychologies to find a fix on the face of it, the challenge is when a matter becomes a case where control is the motivator and not sex then abuse sets in and victims are repeatedly exposed. As children with the point of least resistance being the main challenge they cannot stand up to their abusers and are left to suffer over time in silence.

Strangely in the present Mrs Collins resignation matter mentioned above she also said in part in a follow-up interview with the BBC:

“One particular area of the Vatican don’t want to cooperate with that work [child abuse matter] and that’s what been so shocking to me that these men still exist in the church; it’s something I like most people before I started working with the papal commission I was under the impression that pope just says do it and it’s done, but I think things are a lot more complicated than that there are ways and means in the curia they have been there for hundreds and hundreds of years as appearing to be amenable to something and actually put stumbling blocks in the way.

I think those men strive on secrecy, that has been the problem with the church all along but these men do these things behind closed doors and nobody gets to know about it; so from my point of view I want to say the commission is working very hard, I’m with them completely behind them and behind the Pope in every effort they make but I think keeping it secret that there is this group of people who are not willing and not of like mind I think that has to be said; I worked on it for three years, I’ve stayed silent on this instance and hindrances put in the way but there comes a point when particularly for a survivor where you see this obstruction there you cannot just accept it and go on because that’s how these things thrive; for people to keep it secret and nothing and then they get away with it.”

When asked about the systematic cover-ups equating her Vatican experience to that globally by church leaders, hierarchy and diocese she responded:

“It echoes for me the attitudes I have seen when I try to bring my abuser to justice here in Dublin twenty years ago; it echoes very clearly the attitudes that I met with in hierarchy here and my own archbishop it totally bring that all back but the church in many areas has learned and has improved and I’m particularly pleased with that I have been asked to continue with the training of new bishops.

There are church people willing and open to understand and to learn and to change, the ones that are not and that are pinning on to old ideas and institutional protections and all these other things they’ve got to be rooted out.

I can’t do it, those in the church themselves have to do it.”

Again I ask how much of that context as outlined by Mrs Collins can be placed in our local makeup in other denominations. Our very own Bishop Reece years ago in an interview had said there was no known case of abuse (see: Archbishop of Kingston Denies Claims That Clergy Members Abusing Alpha Boys or No Reported cases of Paedophilia say local Catholic Diocese Representative Reece from a 2010 interview) and the recently edition of the catholic voice publication mentioned nothing on the ongoing hot matter of clerical abuse or pastoral sexual matters but presented its usual politically correct fluff. For a church that has had so much allegations thrown at it I was expected far better particulars, statements and such as they are good at especially given the usual conflation of paedophilia with homosexuality overall often used as justification to deny any pro gay rights wrapped up in a Levitcal imperative thrust while putting other concerns over the safety of children. 

also see: Pope declares 'zero tolerance' for sexual abuse in Catholic church (Guardian) 2017

Meanwhile in a Gleaner article entitled "Canute Thompson | Confronting The Moravian Sex Crisis" and "Canute S. Thompson | Sex, Church And Power" by a member of the Moravian community suggested some actions to address the matter in his church he said in part from the former entry:

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE MORAVIAN CHURCH

"A few synods ago, the Church, with the support of National Integrity Action and the Jamaica Civil Society Coalition, held a forum on corruption. That initiative was a welcome one and served to contribute to the image of the Church as a conscious player in an important national debate. The Church has another opportunity: to step up to the plate and show that it has the courage to articulate a commitment to heal not just its internal wounds, but the nation, as it hurts.

Synod 2017 would be a good place to engage in discussions on how the Church can work through the current issues that it faces. Hiding from each other, the public, and our reality is not a solution.

The Moravian Church has a duty to demonstrate to the public that it is serious about dealing with the issues bedevilling it. Speaking only in whispers, praying in generalities, preaching in vague terms, and casting blame will not provide a credible path forward. We have to be willing to confront ourselves and each other patiently and compassionately, yet boldly and honestly.

I offer these additional suggestions for public discussion and for the Church's consideration.

(1) That the Church broaden the terms of reference for the mechanism it has announced to examine the issue of how reports that raise adverse concerns are handled. The terms of reference should include an examination of its decision-making processes at several levels of the organisation to see the extent to which they are subject to checks and balances and capable of providing a trail sufficient for external review.

(2) That the Church seek the assistance of either a committee of the worldwide Moravian Church, or a local group, in reviewing its regulations and constitutional arrangements. The purpose of this review would be to examine whether these regulations and constitutional stipulations make adequate provisions for accountability of various office holders, especially the executive, and whether there is potential for institutionalised protection for abuse of power, violation of due process, and disregard for rules of fairness.

(3) While taking the steps [as suggested in Item (1)], and given that the Church's management of the recent incidents has led the clergy to acknowledge the existence of possible weaknesses, I suggest that the leadership of the Church open recent cases, including those prior to 2016, to review. The purpose of such a review would be to examine whether, in the handling of those cases, the executive followed the relevant procedures or otherwise acted in conformity with the basic rules of natural justice, accountability, transparency, and fairness.

(4) Finally, the church should immediately engage in a series of truth and reconciliation conversations. There are deep issues that go beyond the events of the last few weeks that remain unresolved, and there can be no sustained healing without candid, caring, and courageous truth-telling. The facilitator of such a process should be someone external to the Moravian Church. This person should be highly skilled in the art of healing-facilitation, mediation, and organisational renewal ....."

 Dr Canute Thompson is a member of the Moravian Church in Jamaica. His research interests are in the areas of governance, leadership reimagination, and transformational leadership. Email feedback to canutethompson1@gmail.com.

Trouble with these things and calls for introspection that are often met with snooty rebuffed and ignored, I can identity all too well in that department.

Cover-ups indeed:
Moravian Sex Scandal Deepens - Email Trail Reveals Church Knew Of Sex Allegations Against Pastor (Gleaner)

I run the risk of being criticized yet again of moral equivalence but how can disgraced clergy and pastors claim to speak on moral matters with any credibility? The robust nature of the antigay thrust versus what appears to be a typical expected response is hypocritical to say the least. Several cases are in the courts now I hope the systems can offer good support for victims although I am used to the knee jerk reactions when these waves of abuse come, then something else grabs our attention.

Think on these things

Peace & tolerance

H

also see:

Justified underage sexual abuse in lieu of homosexual sex!

Is the pope serious about confronting child abuse? .... the question of the age 2016

More Pastoral Inappropriateness & Under-aged Victims... Silence from The Selective Religious Anti Gay 2014

Vatican says cover-up accusations due to Pope's opposition to gay rights 2010 

Church members bashed for backing pastor

Two Good Letters on Gay Person-hood & Paedophile Homosexuality Conflation

No Reported cases of Paedophilia say local Catholic Diocese Representative 2010

Another St Thomas Pastor Accused of Rape ........... Where are Anti Gay Religious Groups?

Ephebophilia vs Paedophilia & Male Homosexuality part 2 .... the need to continue the discourse 

Catholic church 'abused 4,400 children'(BBC)

How has the Vatican's responded to child abuse?(BBC)

Pope's reforms polarise the Vatican(BBC)

American owner of missionary orphanage in Haiti arrested for allegedly sexually abusing kids (Observer)