My theory is that it is hardly surprising that Catholic clergy are over represented when it comes to sexual abuse of boys.
I suggest formal Catholic teaching on the question of homosexuality provides an inkling of why this might be the case.
The Catechism is the official teaching of the Catholic Church.
In 1992, Pope John Paul II said of the Catechism:
“The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which I approved 25 June last and the publication of which I today order by virtue of my Apostolic Authority, is a statement of the Church’s faith and of Catholic doctrine, attested to or illumined by Sacred Scripture, Apostolic Tradition and the Church’s Magisterium. I declare it to be a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion and a sure norm for teaching the faith.”
At 2357-2359, the Catechism sets out the Church’s position on homosexuality. The teaching commences:
“Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.”
It then goes on:
“The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial”.
And it concludes:
“Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.”
So what are the “take out” messages from the teaching:
- There is a “not negligible number” of people with “deep seated homosexual tendencies”;
- If you are same sex attracted there is certainly something pretty badly wrong with you because any expression of your sexuality is “objectively disordered” and “contrary to natural law” and this aspect of your being will likely prove to be a “trial”;
- The solution to this “condition” is to be chaste, pray, develop disinterested friendship and engage in sacramental grace.
Now what vocation can we think of that might nicely meet all of those requirements as an important part of the job description? You guessed it. If you are Catholic and gay join the clergy where you will find support of disinterested friends, a rule to be chaste and where prayer and sacrament will be vocational necessities.
But what have been the results of this teaching for the Catholic Church? Surely they have been mixed at best. Without meaning any insult to the majority of clergy, who have never engaged in child sexual abuse, it seems difficult to think of a better recipe for attracting paedophiles into one’s ranks.
I know that there is a strong view that homosexual orientation and paedophilia are two very distinct tendencies and that most acts of paedophilia are committed by heterosexual men. But is there a link between repressed sexuality (including repressed homosexuality) and paedophilia? Is it too long a bow to suppose that there is an equation in operation within the Catholic Church which might be something like the following?:
Homosexual orientation+ feelings of guilt that acting on such orientation is “disordered”+ joining the clergy to try impose chastity upon oneself (repression)+ prohibition on sexual relationships with other adults+ close proximity to children = increased risk of paedophilia.
For the sake of fairness I should also point out that other parts of the Catechism call for homosexual people to be treated with “respect, compassion, and sensitivity” and says that they should not be subject to “unjust discrimination” ( a concept which is presumably distinguishable from “just discrimination”).
But any temptation to regard these words as genuine expressions of Christian compassion, rather than as an attempt to obscure homophobic prejudice, quickly vanish when one swaps “homosexual” and “Christian” in the words of the Catechism.
The passage then reads as follows:
“The number of men and women who have deep-seated Christian tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. Christian persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach homosexual perfection.”
Hmm…not very “compassionate really…check out the song…