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AIDS exacerbates sexual exploitation of nuns, reports allege

By John L. Allen Jr. and Pamela Schaeffer

NCR Staff, Rome and Kansas City, Mo.

March 16, 2001 (National Catholic Reporter). Several reports written by senior members of women’s religious orders and by an American priest assert that sexual abuse of nuns by priests, including rape, is a serious problem, especially in Africa and other parts of the developing world.

The reports allege that some Catholic clergy exploit their financial and spiritual authority to gain sexual favors from religious women, many of whom, in developing countries, are culturally conditioned to be subservient to men. The reports obtained by NCR –some recent, some in circulation at least seven years– say priests at times demand sex in exchange for favors, such as permission or certification to work in a given diocese. The reports, five in all, indicate that in Africa particularly, a continent ravaged by HIV and AIDS, young nuns are sometimes seen as safe targets of sexual activity. In a few extreme instances, according to the documentation, priests have impregnated nuns and then encouraged them to have abortions.

In some cases, according to one of the reports, nuns, through naiveté or social conditioning to obey authority figures, may readily comply with sexual demands.

Although the problem has not been aired in public, the reports have been discussed in councils of religious women and men and in the Vatican.

In November 1998, a four-page paper titled “The Problem of the Sexual Abuse of African Religious in Africa and Rome” was presented by Missionaries of Our Lady of Africa Sr. Marie McDonald, the report’s author, to the Council of 16, a group that meets three times a year. The council is made up of delegates from three bodies: the Union of Superiors General, an association of men’s religious communities based in Rome, the International Union of Superiors General, a comparable group for women, and the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Vatican office that oversees religious life.

Last September, Benedictine Sr. Esther Fangman, a psychological counselor and president of the Federation of St. Scholastica, raised the issue in an address at a Rome congress of 250 Benedictine abbots. The federation is an organization of 22 monasteries in the United States and two in Mexico.

Five years earlier, on Feb. 18, 1995, Cardinal Eduardo Martínez, prefect of the Vatican congregation for religious life, along with members of his staff, were briefed on the problem by Medical Missionary of Mary Sr. Maura O’Donohue, a physician.

O’Donohue is responsible for a 1994 report that constitutes one of the more comprehensive accounts. At the time of its writing, she had spent six years as AIDS coordinator for the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development based in London.

Though statistics related to sexual abuse of religious women are unavailable, most religious leaders interviewed by NCR say the frequency and consistency of the reports of sexual abuse point to a problem that needs to be addressed.

“I don’t believe these are simply exceptional cases,” Benedictine Fr. Nokter Wolf, abbot primate of the Benedictine order, told NCR. “I think the abuse described is happening. How much it happens, what the numbers are, I have no way of knowing. But it is a serious matter, and we need to discuss it.”

Wolf has made several trips to Africa to visit Benedictine institutions and is in contact with members of the order there.

In her reports, O’Donohue links the sexual abuse to the prevalence of AIDS in Africa and concerns about contracting the disease.

“Sadly, the sisters also report that priests have sexually exploited them because they too had come to fear contamination with HIV by sexual contact with prostitutes and other ‘at risk’ women,” she wrote in 1994.

O’Donohue declined requests for interviews with NCR.

In some cultures, O’Donohue wrote, men who traditionally would have sought out prostitutes instead are turning to “secondary school girls, who, because of their younger age, were considered ‘safe’ from HIV.”

Similarly, religious sisters “constitute another group which has been identified as ‘safe’ targets for sexual activity,” O’Donohue wrote.

“For example,” O’Donohue wrote, “a superior of a community of sisters in one country was approached by priests requesting that sisters would be made available to them for sexual favors. When the superior refused, the priests explained that they would otherwise be obliged to go to the village to find women, and might thus get AIDS.”

O’Donohue wrote that at first she reacted with “shock and disbelief” at the “magnitude” of the problem she was encountering through her contacts with “a great number of sisters during the course of my visits” in a number of countries.

Different view of celibacy

“The AIDS pandemic has drawn attention to issues which may not previously have been considered significant,” she wrote. “The enormous challenges which AIDS poses for members of religious orders and the clergy is only now becoming evident.”

In a report on her 1995 meeting with Cardinal Martínez in the Vatican, O’Donohue noted that celibacy may have different meanings in different cultures. For instance, she wrote in her report, a vicar general in one African diocese had talked “quite openly” about the view of celibacy in Africa, saying that “celibacy in the African context means a priest does not get married but does not mean he does not have children.”

Of the world’s 1 billion Catholics, 116.6 million –about 12 percent– live in Africa. According to the 2001 Catholic Almanac, 561 are bishops and archbishops, 26,026 are priests and 51,304 are nuns.

In addition to such general overviews, Martínez’s office has also received documentation on specific cases. In one such incident, dating from 1988 in Malawi and cited in O’Donohue’s 1994 report, the leadership team of a diocesan women’s congregation was dismissed by the local bishop after it complained that 29 sisters had been impregnated by diocesan priests. Western missionaries helped the leadership team compile a dossier that was eventually submitted to Rome.

One of those missionaries, a veteran of more than two decades in Africa, said the Malawi case was complex and the issue of sexual liaisons was not the only factor involved. She described the incident in a not-for-attribution interview with NCR.

The missionary said the leadership team had adopted rules preventing sisters from spending the night in a rectory, banning priests from staying overnight in convents and prohibiting sisters from being alone with priests. The rules were intended to reduce the possibility of sexual contact.

Several sources told NCR that religious communities as well as church officials have taken steps to correct the problem, though they were reluctant to cite specific examples.

Others say the climate of secrecy that still surrounds the issue indicates more needs to be done.

The secrecy is due in part to efforts by religious orders to work within the system to address the problems and in part to the cultural context in which they occur. In sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, where the problems are reportedly the most severe, sexual behavior and AIDS are rarely discussed openly. Among many people in that region of Central and Southern Africa, sexual topics are virtually taboo, according to many who have worked there.

Expressing frustration at unsuccessful efforts to get church officials to address the problem, O’Donohue wrote in 1994, “Groups of sisters from local congregations have made passionate appeals for help to members of international congregations and explain that, when they themselves try to make representations to church authorities about harassment by priests, they simply ‘are not heard.’”

The Vatican press office did not respond to NCR requests for comment on this story.

O’Donohue wrote that, although she was aware of incidents in some 23 countries, including the United States, on five continents, the majority happened in Africa.

Ironically, given the reticence of many Africans to talk about sex, casual sex is common in parts of Africa, and sexual abstinence is rare. It’s a culture in which AIDS thrives. Experts say the view derives from a deeply rooted cultural association between maleness and progeny — a view that makes the church’s insistence on celibacy difficult not only in practice but also in concept for some African priests.

AIDS rampant in Africa

Some 25.3 million of the world’s 36.1 million HIV-positive persons live in sub-Saharan Africa. Since the epidemic began in the late 1970s, 17 million Africans have died of AIDS, according to the World Health Organization. Of the 5.3 million new cases of HIV infection in 2000, 3.8 million occurred in Africa.

According to a graphic article on AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa in the Feb. 12 issue of Time magazine, “Casual sex of every kind is commonplace. Everywhere there’s premarital sex, sex as recreation. Obligatory sex and its abusive counterpart, coercive sex. Transactional sex: sex as a gift, sugar-daddy sex. Extramarital sex, second families, multiple partners.”

Further, Time reported, women, taught from birth to obey men, feel powerless to protect themselves from men’s sexual desires.

Even accounting for promiscuity –which in fact, some experts have argued, is no less a problem in Western nations– the religious men and women raising the issue of sexual exploitation of religious women say the situations they report on are clearly intolerable and, in some cases, approach the unspeakable.

In one instance, according to O’Donohue, a priest took a nun for an abortion, and she died during the procedure. He later officiated at her requiem Mass.

Harassment common

In McDonald’s report, she states that “sexual harassment and even rape of sisters by priests and bishops is allegedly common,” and that “sometimes when a sister becomes pregnant, the priest insists that she have an abortion.” She said her report referred mainly to Africa and to African sisters, priests and bishops –not because the problem is exclusively an African one, but because the group preparing the report drew “mainly on their own experience in Africa and the knowledge they have obtained from the members of their own congregations or from other congregations– especially diocesan congregations in Africa.”

“We know that the problem exists elsewhere too,” she wrote.

“It is precisely because of our love for the church and for Africa that we feel so distressed about the problem,” McDonald wrote.

McDonald’s was the report presented in 1998 to the Council of 16. She declined to be interviewed by NCR.

When a sister becomes pregnant, McDonald wrote, she is usually punished by dismissal from the congregation, while the priest is “often only moved to another parish — or sent for studies.”

In her report, McDonald wrote that priests sometimes exploit the financial dependency of young sisters or take advantage of spiritual direction and the sacrament of reconciliation to extort sexual favors.

McDonald cites eight factors she believes give rise to the problem:

·         The fact that celibacy and/or chastity are not values in some countries.

·         The inferior position of women in society and the church. In some circumstances “a sister … has been educated to regard herself as an inferior, to be subservient and to obey.”

“It is understandable then, that a sister finds it impossible to refuse a cleric who asks for sexual favours. These men are seen as ‘authority figures’ who must be obeyed.”

“Moreover, they are usually more highly educated and they have received a much more advanced theological formation than the sisters. They may use false theological arguments to justify their requests and behaviour. The sisters are easily impressed by these arguments. One of these goes as follows:

“‘We are both consecrated celibates. That means that we have promised not to marry. However, we can have sex together without breaking our vows.’”

·         The AIDS pandemic, which means sisters are more likely to be seen as “safe.”

·         Financial dependence created by low stipends for sisters laboring in their home countries or inadequate support for sisters sent abroad for studies.. The problem of sexual abuse in Africa is most common, according to many observers, among members of diocesan religious congregations with little money and no network of international support.

·         A poor understanding of consecrated life, both by the sisters and also by bishops, priests, and lay people.

·         Recruitment of candidates by congregations that lack adequate knowledge of the culture.

·         Sisters sent abroad to Rome and other countries for studies are often “too young and/or immature,” lack language skills, preparation and other kinds of support, and “frequently turn to seminarians and priests for help,” creating the potential for exploitation.

“I do not wish to imply that only priests and bishops are to blame and that the sisters are simply their victims,” McDonald wrote. “No, sisters can sometimes be only too willing and can also be naïve.”

·         Silence. “Perhaps another contributing factor is the ‘conspiracy of silence’ surrounding this issue,” McDonald wrote. “Only if we can look at it honestly will we be able to find solutions.”

The American priest who gave a similar account of sexual abuse of women religious is Fr. Robert J. Vitillo, then of Caritas and now executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Campaign for Human Development. In March 1994, a month after O’Donohue wrote her report, Vitillo spoke about the problem to a theological study group at Boston College. Vitillo has extensive knowledge of Africa based on regular visits for his work. His talk, which focused on several moral and ethical issues related to AIDS, was titled, “Theological Challenges Posed by the Global Pandemic of HIV/AIDS.”

‘Necessary to mention’

Vitillo, a priest of the Paterson, N.J., diocese, declined requests from NCR for an interview on the content of his talk.

He told the gathering at Boston College that nuns had been targeted by men, particularly clergy, who may have previously frequented prostitutes.

“The last ethical issue which I find especially delicate but necessary to mention,” he said, “involves the need to denounce sexual abuse which has arisen as a specific result of HIV/AIDS. In many parts of the world, men have decreased their reliance on commercial sex workers because of their fear of contracting HIV. … As a result of this widespread fear, many men (and some women) have turned to young (and therefore presumably uninfected) girls (and boys) for sexual favors. Religious women have also been targeted by such men, and especially by clergy who may have previously frequented prostitutes. I myself have heard the tragic stories of religious women who were forced to have sex with the local priest or with a spiritual counselor who insisted that this activity was ‘good’ for the both of

them.

“Frequently, attempts to raise these issues with local and international church authorities have met with deaf ears,” said Vitillo. “In North America and in some parts of Europe, our church is already reeling under the pedophilia scandals. How long will it take for this same institutional church to become sensitive to these new abuse issues which are resulting from the pandemic?”

The specific circumstances outlined in the O’Donohue report are as follows:

·         In some instances, candidates to religious life had to provide sexual favors to priests in order to acquire the necessary certificates and/or recommendations to work in a diocese.

·         In several countries, sisters are troubled by policies that require them to leave the congregation if they become pregnant, while the priest involved is able to continue his ministry. Beyond fairness is the question of social justice, since the sister is left to raise the child as a single parent, “often with a great deal of stigmatization and frequently in very poor socioeconomic circumstances. I was given examples in several countries where such women were forced into becoming a second or third wife in a family because of lost status in the local culture. The alternative, as a matter of survival, is to go ‘on the streets’ as prostitutes” and thereby “expose themselves to the risk of HIV, if not already infected.”

·         “Superior generals I have met were extremely concerned about the harassment sisters were experiencing from priests in some areas. One superior of a diocesan congregation, where several sisters became pregnant by priests, has been at a complete loss to find an appropriate solution. Another diocesan congregation has had to dismiss over 20 sisters because of pregnancy, again in many cases by priests.

·         “Some priests are recommending that sisters take a contraceptive, misleading them that ‘the pill’ will prevent transmission of HIV. Others have actually encouraged abortion for sisters with whom they have been involved. Some Catholic medical professionals employed in Catholic hospitals have reported pressure being exerted on them by priests to procure abortions in those hospitals for religious sisters.

·         “In a number of countries, members of parish councils and of small Christian communities are challenging their pastors because of their relationships with women and young girls generally. Some of these women are wives of the parishioners. In such circumstances, husbands are angry about what is happening, but are embarrassed to challenge their parish priest. Some priests are known to have relations with several women, and also to have children from more than one liaison. Laypeople spoke with me about the concerns in this context stating that they are waiting for the day when they will have dialogue homilies. This, they volunteered, will afford them an opportunity to challenge certain priests on the sincerity of their preaching and their apparent double standards. In one country visited, I was informed that the presbytery in a particular parish was attacked by parishioners armed with guns because they were angry with the priests because of their abuse of power and the betrayal of trust which their actions and lifestyles reflected.

·         “In another country a recent convert from Islam (one of two daughters who became Christians) was accepted as a candidate to a local religious congregation. When she went to her parish priest for the required certificates, she was subjected to rape by the priest before being given the certificates. Having been disowned by her family because of becoming a Christian, she did not feel free to return home. She joined the congregation and soon afterwards found she was pregnant. To her mind, the only option for her was to leave the congregation, without giving the reason. She spent 10 days roaming the forest, agonizing over what to do. Then she decided to go and talk to the bishop, who called in the priest. The priest accepted the accusation as true and was told by the bishop to go on a two-week retreat.

·         “Since the 1980s in a number of countries sisters are refusing to travel alone with a priest in a car because of fear of harassment or even rape. Priests have also on occasion abused their position in their role as pastors and spiritual directors and utilized their spiritual authority to gain sexual favors from sisters. In one country, women superiors have had to request the bishop or men superiors to remove chaplains, spiritual directors or retreat directors after they abused sisters.”

Those most directly affected are the women abused, wrote O’Donohue. The effects extend, however, to the wider community and include disillusionment and cynicism. The abused and others in the community “find the foundation of their faith is suddenly shattered.”

Many whose faith has been shattered are from families that look unfavorably on religious vocations and who “question why celibacy should be so strongly proclaimed by the same people who are seemingly involved in sexually exploiting others. This is seen as hypocrisy or at least as promoting double standards,” O’Donohue wrote.

Some observers say that in the wake of such reports, steps have been taken to address the problem.

New guidelines

Wolf, the Benedictine leader in Rome, said, “Several monasteries already have guidelines in case a monk is accused of sexual misconduct, taking care of the individuals concerned, the victim included. I pushed this question in our congregation. We need sincerity and justice.”

A Vatican official told NCR that “there are initiatives at multiple levels” to raise awareness about the potential for sexual abuse in religious life. The official cited efforts within conferences of religious superiors, within bishops’ conferences, and within particular communities and dioceses.

Most of these, the official said, were steps the Vatican is “aware of” and “supporting” rather than organizing or initiating.

The Vatican official was willing to speak anonymously about the problem with NCR.

The official noted two signs that the culture in the church is changing. In specific cases, the official said, the response from church leaders is more aggressive and swift; and in general, there is a climate within religious life that these things have to be discussed. “Talking about it is the first step towards a solution,” the official said.

Church officials have not always, however, been open to such exchanges. McDonald wrote in her 1998 report that in March of that year she had spoken to the standing committee of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, the consortium of African bishops’ conferences, on the problem of sexual abuse of sisters.

“Since most of what I gave was based on reports coming from diocesan congregations and Conferences of Major Superiors in Africa, I felt very convinced of the authenticity of what I was saying,” McDonald wrote.

Yet, “the bishops present felt that it was disloyal of the sisters to have sent such reports outside their dioceses,” McDonald wrote. “They said that the sisters in question should go to their diocesan bishop with these problems.”

“Of course,” she wrote, “this would be the ideal. However, the sisters claim that they have done so time and time again. Sometimes they are not well received. In some instances they are blamed for what has happened. Even when they are listened to sympathetically, nothing much seems to be done.”

Worth talking about

Whatever positive steps have been taken, the problem remains a live concern for religious women. In an interview at her home in Kansas City, Mo., Fangman, the nun who raised the issue last September at a gathering of Benedictine abbots in Rome, told NCR that she had heard the stories about sisters being sexually abused by priests during informal discussions at meetings of abbesses and prioresses worldwide.

“The sisters who brought it up were deeply hurt by it and found it very painful — and very painful to talk about,” she said. Because of the pain that she and others were hearing, “we decided that it was worth also beginning to talk about in a more open way, and we had the opportunity at our regular meeting with the Congress of Abbots,” she said.

Fangman said her report to the Benedictine abbots was based on the conversations with sisters and on the material in O’Donohue’s reports.

Fangman’s talk was published in a recent issue of the Alliance for International Monasticism Bulletin, a mission magazine of the order.

O’Donohue’s report was prepared in a similar spirit: in hope of promoting change. She wrote in her report that she had prepared it “after much profound reflection and with a deep sense of urgency since the subjects involved touch the very core of the church’s mission and ministry.”

The information on abuse of nuns by priests “comes from missionaries (men and women); from priests, doctors and other members of our loyal ecclesial family,” she wrote. “I have been assured that case records exist for several of the incidents” described in the report, she said, “and that the information is not just based on hearsay.”

The 23 countries listed in her report are: Botswana, Burundi, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Tonga, Uganda, United States, Zambia, Zaire, Zimbabwe.

Her hope, she wrote, is that the report “will consequently motivate appropriate action especially on the part of those in positions of church leadership and those responsible for formation.”

John Allen’s e-mail address is jallen@natcath.org

Pamela Schaeffer’s e-mail address is pschaeffer@natcath.org

Documents related to the above story will be available on the NCR Web site at:

http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/documents/index.htm

Source: http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/031601/031601a.htm

Memo from Sr. Maura O’Donohue MMM

Urgent Concerns for the Church in the Context of HIV/AIDS

Strictly Confidential – February 1994

I have prepared this report after much profound reflection and with a deep sense of urgency since the subjects involved touch the very core of the Church’s mission and ministry. In the course of my religious life over the past 40 years and of my pastoral and professional experience as a medical missionary I have been called upon to offer both an individual response and to coordinate community based responses to many human tragedies. From the perspective of such past experiences I feel compelled to call attention to and appeal for a response to the tragic situations which I am attempting to present below.

General Background

The past six years have provided me with the opportunity of visiting many countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe. These visits were undertaken as part of my role as AIDS Coordinator for the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development (CAFOD) which serves as lead agency for HIV/AIDS programmes within the Confederation of Caritas Internationalis (CI). The purpose of my work was to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among Church personnel, especially those involved in the socio-pastoral field. My activities included the facilitation of seminars and workshops on HIV/AIDS; offering consultation on development and planning of Church-sponsored HIV/AIDS services; seeking resources within the Caritas network to support such programs in the developing world.

The majority of these visits and activities have been undertaken together with Father Robert J. Vitillo, Director of Programmes at Caritas Internationalis, who shares the concerns set out in this report.

At the 1987 Caritas Internationalis General Assembly, HIV/AIDS was identified as a priority theme for reflection and action among member organisations of the Confederation. From that time the CI Secretary General, Mr. Gerhard Meier, asked CAFOD, the Caritas national member organization for England and Wales, to assume responsibility for the coordination of Caritas’ AIDS-related activities. This same Secretary General also appointed an expert Working Group on HIV/AIDS with representation from every region of the world. Caritas Internationalis has sponsored educational and awareness-raising seminars at regional, national and local levels for Church leaders and other health and social service professionals. Within the Caritas network several million U.S. dollars are raised each year to support HIV/AIDS services programs in Africa, Latin America, Eastern and Central Europe, the Middle East and Asia and Oceania. The projects include expansion of medical and social service facilities for people with AIDS; supply of food, transportation for mobile home care teams; residences for homeless persons with AIDS; development-oriented orphan care programs. Caritas has been especially effective in promoting North/South and South/South experience exchange and networking among AIDS service providers.

Current Facts about HIV and AIDS

In order to situate the gravity of the HIV/AIDS pandemic the following statistics may be useful:

·         It is estimated that more than 14 million adults and 1 million children throughout the world have been infected with the HIV virus since the early 1980s.

·         An estimated 9 million of these HIV-infected people are living in sub-Saharan Africa.

·         In spite of the fact that the media and popular opinion mistakenly tend to associate HIV infection with so-called “high risk groups,” it is known that at least 70-80% of HIV infections have been spread though heterosexual activity.

·         850,000 cases of AIDS (the stage of grave illness) have been reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which realises that these figures represent an underestimate and that in fact more than 2.5 million people have developed AIDS.

Projections for the Future

·         It is expected that another 10 to 20 million people will be infected with HIV.

·         By the year 2000 it is projected that between 30 and 110 million people will have been infected with HIV and that up to 10 million people will have died from AIDS.

·         It is also estimated that 90% of the AIDS cases will then be in the developing world and 80% of these HIV infections will be the result of heterosexual transmission.

Some Critical Issues

The AIDS pandemic has drawn attention to issues which may not previously have been considered significant. Although the implications of the pandemic in the social, psychological, ethico-moral, legal, pastoral and development areas have been known for some time, the enormous challenges which AIDS poses for members of religious orders and clergy is only now becoming evident.

Some issues associated with the HIV/AIDS pandemic relate exclusively to women religious; others have more general application. These latter include the following:

·         the impact on Church sponsored health services in developing countries;

·         the need to develop effective models for family life education;

·         the new demands being placed on religious communities and clergy to respond to the overwhelming needs of individuals and communities affected by HIV and AIDS.

a)       Priests and Religious with HIV/AIDS

AIDS is now affecting priests and religious in several countries. In one country, for example, with a total of less than 320 diocesan priests, 3 had died from AIDS-related illness, 4 others were dying and 12 were HIV-infected. That was 1991. Those figures represent an infection rate of 13% among the diocesan clergy in that particular country. In another country 16 members of one religious order have already died of AIDS. Obviously these situations are not openly discussed, but the numbers reflect an alarming trend.

An initial response of many bishops and religious superiors has been to institute HIV antibody testing requirements for all candidates for seminaries and religious life. Although these testing policies raise many human rights, justice-related and pastoral concerns, they are in no way successful in addressing the issue of priests and religious who are presently infected with HIV or who may become infected in the future.

Both positive and negative responses have been noted among dioceses and religious communities towards those priests and religious who are known to be infected with HIV or are already sick with AIDS. One Provincial Superior invited a member who had AIDS to live at the Provincial House, and the members of that community helped to care for the member until he died. In contrast, another priest, dying of AIDS in a hospital over a period of several months, was ignored by his bishop and brother priests. When the priest finally died his bishop went with an open truck to collect the body. The Matron of the hospital refused to release the body until a suitable casket was provided.

b)       Particular Vulnerability of Women Religious in the HIV/AIDS pandemic

The combination of several factors intricately woven into the fabric of our society (e.g. the low status of women in some regions of the world) encourages exploitation. For example, in some cultures, there is an accepted use of physical discipline and an expectation of unquestioning obedience from girls to any traditional “power figure.” This implicitly condones violence, requires compliance with adults and further perpetuates a sense of powerlessness and vulnerability.

It is well known that long-haul truck drivers and other men obliged to be away from home and family for relatively long periods liaise with prostitutes. This is culturally “accepted” in some societies for both married and unmarried men. As a result of HIV/AIDS awareness-raising such men have begun to recognise prostitutes as a group at high risk of being infected with HIV. Many men, therefore, instead of visiting brothels, have sought to make contact with secondary school girls, who, because of their younger age, were considered “safe” from HIV. The incidence of pregnancy among teenage girls has soared in some countries, as has the incidence of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases among these teenagers.

Religious sisters constitute another group which has been identified as “safe” targets for sexual activity. A number of sisters have reported incidents of abuse by their professors and teachers and of sexual harassment by other men in the general population. Sadly the sisters also report that priests have sexually exploited them because they too had come to fear contamination with HIV by sexual contact with prostitutes and other “at risk” women. For example, a superior of a community of sisters in one country was approached by priests requesting that sisters be made available to them for sexual favors (1991). When the superior refused, the priests explained that they would otherwise be obliged to go to the village to find women, and might thus get AIDS.

c)       Particularly disturbing issues which have emerged

In view of the many confidences shared with me by a great number of sisters during the course of my visits, I became aware of deeper and even more disturbing issues than those outlined above. These issues revealed behaviour patterns which I was very reluctant to accept as fact. My initial reaction was one of shock and disbelief at the magnitude of the problem with which I was presented. The information relates to the exploitation of sisters and other women by priests and comes from missionaries (men and women); from priests, doctors and other members of loyal ecclesial family. I have been assured that case records exist for several of the incidents described below and that the information is not just based on hearsay. These records cause me grave concern because of the potential impact on the Church community –the hierarchy, the clergy, the religious and the laity– as well as on the particular individuals and families involved. My hope is that this information will provide an overview of what is happening, and will consequently motivate appropriate action especially on the part of those in positions of Church leadership and those responsible for formation.

Before providing details it is important to stress that what is presented here is not generalised behaviour but occurs time and time again in a familiar pattern. It does not apply to any single country or even continent, nor indeed to any one group or all members of society. In fact the following examples derive from experience over a six-year period and relate to incidents in some 23 countries in five continents, viz. Botswana, Burundi, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania, Tonga, United States of America, Zambia, Zaire, Zimbabwe.

1.       Several priests and indeed members of the hierarchy were reported to have abused their power and betrayed their trust in exploitative sexual relations with sisters. Some examples given were of candidates to religious life having to provide sexual favours to priests so as to acquire the necessary certificates and/or recommendations.

2.       In several countries sisters are troubled by the policy that, when a sister becomes pregnant she must leave the congregation, while the priest involved with her can continue his ministry. This question is raised from the point of view of social justice. The sister is left to raise the child in a single parent family, often with a great deal of stigmatisation, and frequently in very poor socio-circumstances. I was given examples in several countries where such women were forced into becoming a second or third wife in a family, because of lost status in the local culture. The alternative, as a matter of survival, is to go “on the streets” — as prostitutes, and inter alia to expose themselves to the risk of HIV, if not already infected.

3.       Superior Generals I have met were extremely concerned about the harassment sisters were experiencing from priests in some areas. One superior of a diocesan congregation, where several sisters became pregnant by priests, has been at a complete loss to find an appropriate solution. Another diocesan congregation has had to dismiss over 20 sisters because of pregnancy again in many cases by priests.

4.       Some priests are recommending that sisters take a contraceptive, misleading them that “the pill” will prevent transmission of HIV. Others have actually encouraged abortion for the sisters with whom they have been involved. Some Catholic medical professionals employed in Catholic hospitals have reported pressure being exerted on them by priests to procure abortions in those hospitals for religious sisters (1990).

5.       Groups of sisters from local congregations have made passionate appeals for help to members of international congregations and explain that, when they themselves try to make representations to Church authorities about harassment by priests, they simply “are not heard” (1991). In another situation where, after 29 sisters of a diocesan congregation had become pregnant by priests in the diocese, the Superior General complained to the archbishop. Shortly afterwards she and her councillors were dismissed at a public function by the archbishop who nominated an alternative group of sisters to the Nuncio with no apparent effect, and the sisters are still waiting for a response from higher Church authorities. Meanwhile the unconstitutionally appointed Superior General and Council administer the congregation (1993).

6.       In a small number of countries, members of Parish Councils and of small Christian communities are challenging their pastors, because of their relationship with women and young girls generally. Some of these women are wives of the parishioners. In such circumstances husbands are angry about what is happening, but are embarrassed to challenge their parish priest. Some priests are known to have relations with several women, and also to have children from more than one liaison. Laypeople spoke with me about their concerns in this context stating that they are waiting for the day when they will have dialogue homilies. This, they volunteered, will afford them (the laity) an opportunity to challenge certain priests on the sincerity of their preaching and their apparent double standards. In one country visited, I was informed that the presbytery in a particular parish was attacked by parishioners armed with guns because they were angry with the priests because of their abuse of power and the betrayal of trust which their actions and life styles reflected (1991).

7.       In another country a recent convert from Islam (one of 2 daughters who became Christians) was accepted as a candidate to a local religious congregation. When she went to her parish priest for the required certificates she was subjected to rape by the priest before being given the certificates. Having been disowned by her family because of becoming Christian she did not feel free to return home. She joined the congregation and soon afterwards found she was pregnant. To her mind the only option for her was to leave the congregation, without giving the reason. She spent 10 days roaming the forest, agonising over what to do. Then she decided to go and talk to the bishop, who called in the priest. The priest accepted the accusation as true and was told by the bishop to go on a two-week retreat.

8.       Since the 1980s in a number of countries sisters are refusing to travel alone with a priest in a car because of fear of harassment or even rape. Priests have also on occasion abused their positions in their role as pastors and spiritual directors, and utilised their spiritual authority to gain sexual favours from sisters. In one country, women superiors have had to request the bishop or men superiors to remove chaplains, spiritual directors or retreat directors after they abused sisters.

Some Consequences

The most direct consequences of such abusive behaviour must be recognised in the immediate physical, emotional and spiritual pain endured by those who have been abused. Other effects include disillusionment or cynicism among both abused and others in the community. They find the foundation of their faith is suddenly shattered. Many come from family backgrounds where joining a religious congregation is culturally unacceptable and therefore undergo a lot of pressure not to join. They question why celibacy should be so strongly proclaimed by the same people who are seemingly involved in sexually exploiting others. This is seen as hypocrisy or at least as promoting double standards.

Some Positive Responses

Gradually it is being relised that hurt and disappointment and the social injustices experienced have to be brought to the surface and shared. These issues have to be dealt with delicately and with support from one’s community/colleagues. In this way individuals are supported and assisted in dealing with the situations. The result will hopefully be that, instead of having their faith eroded, the people concerned will be helped to develop a truly adult faith which transcends dependency on and betrayal by counsellors, spiritual directors, and other authority figures.

It is equally important to emphasise that there are some very creative and positive preventative responses in several countries. In certain dioceses visited, all the priests meet regularly for reflection, prayer and diologue. Some diocesan clergy organised a series of workshops on HIV/AIDS for the priests in that country.. These workshops are ongoing and are now being organised in collaboration with the Conference of Religious Women.

One National Conference of sisters planned a ten-day workshop for the superiors and those charged with the responsibility for formation in their respective congregations. This workshop focussed on emerging pastoral and social issued which apply to women religious in particular and included some of the questions outlined above (1992). There was also a request for assistance with a series of workshops on similar issues for the Diocesan Priests’ Association in the same country.

The International Union of Superiors General of women religious in Rome also arranged that a one-day session of their General Assembly in April 1992 be dedicated to HIV/AIDS-related issues. Already they have sent out a communication through their Regional Coordinators to alert presidents of key regional Conferences of Religious about these emerging issues.

Specific Group Responses

Some of the specific responses undertaken by religious and clergy include:

·         re-examining the procedures for selection of candidates for the priesthood and religious life;

·         fostering healthy relationships and encouraging the re-establishment of trust among clergy, religious and laity;

·         analysing the pyscho-social dynamics of what is happening, in the context of society in general;

·         re-examining formation programmes in the light of recent developments;

·         reflecting on how to prevent the continuation of the above mentioned abuses.

Future Action

It is necessary not only to analyse these tragic situations but also to plan an active response. Such action might include:

·         promoting holistic growth of clergy, religious and laity; giving priority to training for leadership;

·         providing for the spiritual, psychological and social healing of people who have been exploited and of those who exploit;

·         ensuring that there are effective procedures for raising awareness of, reporting, and dealing with incidents of abuse that do or might occur;

·         providing adequate support for those who need help to cope with deep psycho-social problems.

Concluding Comments

1.       We need to recognise the deep human and personal needs of priests even of those who are involved in such abusive situations. They too depend on other human beings for the unconditional love of God to be mediated to them in their weakness. We must all make this mediation possible for one another, by supporting one another in weakness, “bearing one another’s burdens.” It would be absurd to maintain that we are all weak human beings, and then belittle those who appear “deficient,” or to resent those who are insensitive.

2.       Disclosure of the kind of events outlined in this report may put priests in general under a cloud of spoken or silent suspicion. In this context there is a certain amount of public skepticism about the sincerity of Church officials and clergy in handling these complex and delicate issues. Much more reflection and sincere searching is clearly necessary in order to overcome facile labelling and over-defensive responses. The women involved also have a responsibility to be informed and to take appropriate actions which will help to resolve past abusive situations and avoid the perpetuation of abuse in the future.

3.       There is need to re-establish the Church’s credibility and to begin the task of rebuilding trust between priests and the nonordained members of the Church. AIDS has highlighted some long-standing complex issues and has also in a very dramatic way brought to light other major problems, which in the context of AIDS can hardly be ignored; indeed they must be addressed. These include the Church’s teaching on such topics as chastity, celibacy, marriage, parental responsibility and family life — all of which need to be addressed in the context of sexuality. A renewed theological and spiritual reflection in these areas seems necessary. Otherwise, it is difficult to know what will happen in view of the frailties becoming visible now at the very heart of Church ministry.

4.       An exclusively woman-centred, or “militant feminist” approach to the issues described, in my opinion, is not a solution. Injustices can take many forms, and perhaps women need in these circumstances to be especially careful not to create another form of sexism or alienation by victimising men. Reactions of bitterness and hatred can be as scandalous as the original offences.

By the experiences outlined above we are confronted with the critical need for reconciliation, transformation and redemption in society and in the Church. Some of the fundamental issues are indeed being addressed in various places. Yet there still remains the sad reality that the greater number of Church leaders and their faithful persist in denying or minimising such a tragic situation. In the last analysis the Church will be judged not only by its response to HIV/AIDS, but also on its perceived hypocrisy and apparent duplicity in this context — because if we are not part of the solution we are a large part of the problem.

The sisters and others who are now coming forward to speak of the abuse they have suffered are contributing to the change of culture by their pain and their courage. Inexperience aggravated by socio-cultural attitudes often deprives many of these sisters of the opportunities they need to describe the events. It is surprising that so many are now giving voice to their experiences. Through the initiative of these sisters, the People of God in general may achieve a more mature and responsible understanding of themselves and their Church. There is something prophetic in this tragedy, because it is the “voiceless” who have prompted this maturing process. For all this, quite apart from their suffering, we owe them a deep debt of respect and gratitude. I pray that their pleas for help and understanding will not go unheard but will receive an equally courageous and prophetic response.

National Catholic Reporter — Posted March 9, 2001

Source: http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/documents/UrgentConcernsO'DONOHUE.htm

Personal Memo from Sr. Maura O’Donohue MMM:

Meeting at SCR – Rome

February 18, 1995

We were met by His Eminence, Cardinal Martinez who thanked us for the report and asked that we would explore in greater depth the questions raised. Because of the technical language involved he had arranged that 3 of the staff whose first language was English would meet us. This was to ensure that the various nuances involved in the discussions would not be missed. The Cardinal hoped that further clarification would be possible on some points and also that we would make some suggestions or proposals about taking the matter forward. We then met the other members of staff who were appointed to discuss with us.

Following introductions by Bishop John Crowley and the SRC staff members (Fr. John Farren, OP, Fr. Richard Yeo, OSB, and Sr. Sharon Holland, IHM) it was clear that there was no pre-arranged agenda. We suggested a brief up-date, as my report had been submitted a year earlier. The emphasis of the update was on the fact that this extra 12 months experience confirmed in every respect the deep concerns already expressed in the report. Some good things were happening in terms of workshops with Conferences of Religious, especially of women, and Conference of Bishops at national or regional levels. However, there were some sad experiences also.

The following were the main points made:

·         HIV/AIDS continues to spread in society in general. There is a corresponding increase in the numbers of priests and religious dying from HIV/AIDS-related illnesses. There are no accurate statistics so it is impossible to know how many are really infected with HIV.

·         Responses on the part of Church-related personnel has been varied and the patterns of response can be summed up as:

i)                    loving concern, care and compassion for priests and religious dying from HIV/AIDS — which is rare

ii)                   secrect and denial about the HIV-infected members

iii)                 stigma, marginalisation, isolation, rejection and open hostility.

·         Reference was made to examples in the report of the lack of expressed concern and care, and further examples were given of priests having left isolated in hospital by their confreres, without visitors for several weeks or even months; some were sent home to their villages for their mothers or families to take care of them.

·         The extent of abuse of sisters by clergy in different contexts, i.e., as parish priests or spiritual directors was discussed. These abuses included candidates who approach a parish priest for the necessary certificates and testimonial letters being subjected to rape. Some congregations have now decided not to request candidates to bring such certificates, and indeed should a candidate present herself with such testimonial letters superiors are loathe to accept them because of the possibility of their having been raped or that they are already pregnant.

·         In this context it was pointed out that in many cultures it is impossible for a woman or adolescent to say “No” to a man, especially an older man, and particularly so to a priest. This results from the low status of women in these societies, their lack of formal education and the fact that priests are put on pedestals and are recognised as educated members of the society.

·         This led to a discussion about the vulnerability of sisters of diocesan congregations, because of their dependence on local clergy. Mention was made of the fact that many sisters in these congregations are not aware that they can request Pontifical recognition. I was asked what could be done to assist diocesan congregations or their status. Admitting that I had not given this much thought I raised the feasibility of considering inculturation of religious life and the possibility of members of diocesan congregations not making perpetual vows. Having perpetual vows exclusively taken by members of congregations of Pontifical Right might encourage seeking pontifical recognition. It was pointed out that when local congregations get recognition of Pontifical status they no longer get funding from the diocese, which can also add to their vulnerability.

·         The members were aware of the situation in Malawi where the central administration staff had been dismissed (deposed) by the Local Ordinary. However, they were unaware that nothing had been done until they received my report. Neither were they aware of the reason for the dismissal.

·         Examples were also given of situations where priests were bringing sisters (and other young women) to Catholic health institutions for abortion. Some of my lay professional colleagues have approached me about this with questions as to what to do or whether they should resign as employees of such hospitals. I gave one example of a priest who had brought a sister for an abortion. She died during the procedure and the priest officiated at the Requiem Mass. The response was of stunned silence. I asked if that priest could hope to get any assistance.

·         On the question of the workshops I was asked how we (Fr. Vitillo and I) conducted these. On mentioning that the workshops lasted several days, sometimes for 2 weeks, they were extremely surprised as they though workshops would be for an hour or a “session.” I responded by explaining the need for very basic information in relation to anatomy, physiology, biology, as well as the aspects of human development, human relationships, sexual theology and spirituality, and the pastoral implications.

·         We emphasised our concern that the information we had shared was already to an extent in the public forum, [two illegible words] lay people and other members of the laity aware of the abuses. In some situations there had been publicity in the papers. Also as a result of the various representatives which had been made to me these issues are now being discussed at workshops or meetings of the conferences of religious. This fact is in marked contrast to what had been happening earlier, where superiors were too embarrassed to discuss the issues, fearing theirs was the only congregation thus affected. There is now a certain sense of solidarity and sharing, as well as expressed anger by superiors and sisters because of the injustices involved.

·         How celibacy is understood in some cultures was also discussed and the example was given of a Vicar General in one diocese who discussed this matter quite openly, saying that “celibacy in the African context means a priest does not get married, but does not mean he does not have children.”

We then made the following suggestions:

1.       The idea of a communication from the Sacred Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes through the appropriate channels, to religious congregations throughout the world with respect to the treatment of their members who have HIV and AIDS to address the question of care, treatment and support by the religious societies concerned. This would include the idea of guiding their care with love and compassion and supporting them in their sickness and suffering. Such a communication would give enormous encouragement in many situations where fear blocks a response that is in keeping with human dignity and Gospel values. It would be a tangible and welcome sign from the Holy see at a time when the numbers of religious men and women with HIV is increasing.

2.       In relation to the widespread abuses we suggested the appointment by the Sacred Congregation for Religious and Secular Institutes of an Apolistic Visitator to investigate first hand the matters which we have brought to their attention. We suggested that part or all of the AMECEA Region of Africa might be an appropriate geographical area as an initial response given our awareness of the serious concerns of local religious in these countries. Given the nature and delicacy of the questions involved we felt it would be important that a woman participate in any such team. Such a visitation on a low key basis would give enormous encouragement to local religious who have pleaded with us to bring these matters directly to the attention of the Holy See. It would be seen as a potent sign of pre-occupation and solitcitous care for those same religious.

3.       The vulnerability of the Diocesan Congregations was very much on our minds and we shared our concerns. Their relationships with the Holy See and the Local Ordinaries is something we are not competent to address. Nevertheless we expressed the hope that some mechanism could be introduced to allow abuses of the nature mentioned in the report to be directly brought to the attention of the Holy See.

4.       We also expressed the hope that some specific action could be taken by the Sacred Congregation to advise and guide all religious congregations in the wake of abuse and pregnancy, whilst equally underlining our concern that counselling and support be made available to those who are seen as the abusers.

5.       We further suggested that the idea of education of religious in respect to human development, human relationships, sexuality, celibacy and affective maturity could be reinforced as part of the formation programmes. If any inter-Dicasterial liaison could be set up we could be ready to collaborate fully.

6.       We were aware that so much of the discussion crosses Dicasterial boundaries and we expressed the hope that an inter-Dicasterial Task Force might be contemplated, involving the Sacred Congregations for Religious and Secular Institutes, of Evangelisation of People and of Bishops to look at the various implications of what we had discussed in the interests of Bishops, Diocesan clergy, religious and laity, and the good name of the Catholic Church.

We empasised that we could not minimise our anxiety about the possible repercussions of inaction to the mission and standing of the Church in the future and we expressed a willingness to offer any help or cooperation in taking these matters forward.

National Catholic Reporter — Posted March 9, 2001

Source: http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/documents/PersonalMemoO'DONOHUE.htm

The Problem of the Sexual Abuse of African Religious

in Africa and in Rome — Paper for the Council of “16”

Marie McDonald, MSOLA

Strictly Confidential Text – November 20, 1998

This talk refers mainly to AFRICA and to AFRICAN SISTERS, PRIESTS AND BISHOPS. This is not because the problem is exclusively an African one, but because the group which met to prepare the input for today’s gathering were drawing mainly on their own experience in Africa and the knowledge they have obtained from the members of their own Congregations or from other congregations — especially diocesan congregations in Africa.

We know that the problem exists elsewhere too.

This paper touches only one albeit painful reality in the African Church. We are well aware of and grateful for, the immense good which has and is being accomplished by clergy and religious, living integrated and evangelically fruitful lives. We only need to remember those Bishops, priests, and religious in Africa who, in recent years have shed their blood for Christ’s cause and for the people committed to their care. It is precisely because of our love for the Church and for Africa that we feel so distressed about the problem we present to you today.

Many disturbing stories could be told. However, since everyone here knows that this problem exists and that in spite of very many attempts to improve the situation, it seems to be getting worse, instead of better, I shall therefore only expose the problem very briefly and concisely. I shall then try to suggest the main causes.

The problem

1.       Sexual harassment and even rape of sisters by priests and bishops is allegedly common. Sometimes, when a sister becomes pregnant, the priest insists that she have an abortion. The sister is usually dismissed from her congregation while the priest is often only moved to another parish — or sent for studies.

2.       Many sisters become financially dependent upon priests who may ask for sexual favours in return.

3.       Priests sometimes take advantage of spiritual direction and of the sacrament or Reconciliation to ask for sexual favours.

Some causes of these abuses

·         Celibacy/chastity is not a value in many countries. Marriage may not be an option in some countries for an educated young woman because the “bride price” is too high. Religious life could provide an alternative choice but is there a real choice for a chaste celibate life?

·         The inferior position of women in society and in the Church is another factor to be considered here. It seems that a sister finds it impossible to refuse a priest who asks for sexual favours. She has been educated to regard herself as inferior, to be subservient and to obey — even her younger brother. It is understandable then, that a sister finds it impossible to refuse a cleric who asks for sexual favours. These men are seen as “authority figures” who must be obeyed. Moreover, they are usually more highly educated and they have received a much more advanced theological formation than the sisters. They may use false theological arguments to justify their requests and behaviour. The sisters are easily impressed by these arguments. One of these goes as follows:

“We are both consecrated celibates. That means that we have promised not to marry. However, we can have sex together without breaking our vows.”

·         The AIDS pandemic has meant that sisters are more sought after by the clergy than before because they are thought to be “safe.”

·         Finance. Many congregations of women struggle to find enough money to provide for their sisters and to educate them. Very often when sisters work for a diocese they are not paid a just salary.

Those who are sent abroad for studies are sometimes expected to send money to their congregations and families at home. In some countries outside Africa, e.g. U.S., African sisters are exploited with poor wages and inadequate health insurance in traditional ministries e.g. catechists that U.S. Congregations have moved away from.

·         Poor understanding of consecrated life.. Bishops, priests, lay people and sisters themselves do not understand religious life adequately, neither the meaning of the vows or the Charisms specific to each Institute.

·         Recruitment of candidates by Congregations who do not have a sufficient presence in the country, and who do not have enough knowledge of the culture. Sometimes priests help in this active recruitment.

·         Student sisters who are sent abroad to Rome (and elsewhere in Europe and U.S.) for studies often have special difficulties. One of these is that of finding suitable accommodation. Whereas residences are provided for seminarians and priests much less is done for sisters. Sisters sent to study outside their own countries are often too young and/or immature. They lack guidance, support and in many cases solid religious formation. Many sisters also lack the basic education necessary to undertake further studies, or they may have an insufficient knowledge of the language in which they are required to study. These sisters frequently turn to seminarians and priests for help in writing essays. Sexual favours are, sometimes, the payment they have to make for such help. I do not wish to imply that only Priests and Bishops are to blame and that the sisters are simply their victims. No, Sisters can sometimes be only too willing and can also be naïve.

·         Silence perhaps another contributing cause is the “conspiracy of silence” surrounding this issue. Only if we can look at it together honestly will we be able to find solutions.

In March of this year, I addressed the Bishops of the Standing Committee of SECAM on the “Problems Facing Religious Congregations.” The sexual abuse of sisters was put forward as one of the main problems. Since most of what I gave was based on reports coming from diocesan congregations and Conferences of Major Superiors in Africa, I felt very convinced of the authenticity of what I was saying. The Bishops present felt that it was disloyal of the sisters to have sent such reports outside their own dioceses. They said that the sisters in question should go to their diocesan bishop with these problems. Of course, this would be the ideal. However, the sisters claim that they have done so time and time again. Sometimes they are not well received. In some instances they are blamed for what has happened. Even when they are listened to sympathetically nothing much seems to be done.

In formal and informal sessions, Superiors General in Rome have been hearing and sharing accounts of sexual abuse in the last few years.

It seems that the time has come for some concerted action.

We think this can best be done by helping one another to develop policies designed to face the problems before and after they arise.

National Catholic Reporter — Posted March 9, 2001

Source: http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/documents/McDonaldAFRICAreport.htm

Reasons for resignation

Paul Collins – February 1, 2001

Paul Collins’ explanation of his resignation from the priesthood

After thirty-three years I have decided to resign as an “active” priest to return to being an ordinary Catholic believer. Many people will justifiably ask: Why? The reason is simple: I can no longer conscientiously subscribe to the policies and theological emphases coming from the Vatican and other official church sources.

While the reason is straight forward, the decision to resign is the result of a personal and theological process. This, of course, is not a step that I have taken lightly and I have been considering it for some time. I will try to outline the reasons in detail.

The core of the problem is that, in my view, many in ecclesiastical leadership at the highest level are actually moving in an increasingly sectarian direction and watering down the catholicity of the church and even unconsciously neglecting elements of its teaching. Since this word “catholicity” will recur often I will define it. It is derived from the Greek word katholikos that means “general,” “broad” or “universal.” The Shorter Oxford Dictionary defines catholicity as “the quality of having sympathies with or being all-embracing; broad-mindedness; tolerance.”

But catholicity also has a profound theological meaning. The recently appointed American Cardinal Avery Dulles, SJ has a fine book entitled The Catholicity of the Church (1988). Catholicity, he says, is characterised by (1) inclusiveness, which means openness to various cultures and opposition to sectarianism and religious individualism; (2) by an ability to bridge generations and historical periods; (3) by an openness to truth and value wherever it exists; (4) by a recognition that it is the Holy Spirit who creates the unity of the church through whose indwelling we participate in the life of God.

This is the kind of Catholicism that I, and many others, have embraced throughout our lives. Its foundations, which are deeply embedded in church history, were given modern expression in the vision of the church articulated at the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. For Catholics like myself our benchmark is a church that is defined as the living sacrament of God’s presence and the place where God’s sovereignty is acknowledged, expressed through a participative community of people dedicated to the service of the world and characterized by collegiality and ecumenism. It is precisely this image of Catholicism which I think is being distorted by many at the highest level in the contemporary church. I increasingly feel that being a priest places me in the position of co-operating with structures that are destructive of that open vision of Catholicism and of the faith of the people who have embraced it. If I am to be true to my conscience, resignation seems the only option.

The fact that we are retreating from the Vatican II vision of Catholicism may not be everyone’s view of what is actually taking place in the church. I accept that, and I also accept that the tension between a broad, open vision of Catholicism rooted in living experience, and a narrower, static hierarchical view of faith, runs right through church history.

It is my perception that at present many in the hierarchy and some laity are moving increasingly in this narrow, elitist direction. Over the last few years I have watched with escalating concern as a series of documents have been published by the Vatican, the last of which was the declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Dominus Jesus (DJ), issued on 6 August 2000. DJ, which claims to protect the uniqueness of Christ, in fact expresses a profoundly anti-ecumenical spirit at odds with the sense of God’s grace permeating the whole cosmos. DJ gives voice to a wider movement that is slowly but pervasively turning the Catholic church inward in an increasingly sectarian direction. It is this which concerns me most.

Sectarianism is incompatible with genuine catholicity. It is the antithesis of the kind of openness to the world, tolerant acceptance of others and a sense of religious pluralism that most thinking Catholics have been formed in and have embraced over the last three or four decades. Thus many Catholics find themselves involved in a corrosive disjunction between what they believe and have experienced, and the views expressed at the highest levels of the church. The reason is because those who claim to articulate Catholic belief seem to be abandoning their catholic spirit. As a result there is a turning away from the other Christian churches, and a rejection of the search for common ground with the other great religious traditions. Thus more and more thinking Catholics who have been educated and live in pluralist, democratic and tolerant societies, find themselves in conflict with church hierarchs who seem to be moving in an ever-more sectarian direction.

Some times there is a hankering after a more genuinely Catholic approach - as you find in John Paul II’s encyclical Ut unum sint (1995), where he went so far as to ask the other churches for advice on papal primacy. But ecclesiastical reality indicates that this hankering is, in fact, merely ecumenical wishful- thinking, while the hierarchical reality is exclusivist.

There have also been regular attempts to “muzzle” and condemn the discussion of issues such as the ordination of women through the use of a new category of doctrine. This has received its clearest expression in the apostolic letter Ad Tuendam Fidem (30 June 1998). The letter argues that there is an intermediary, “second level” of revealed doctrine between the established and defined teaching that all Catholics believe, and what up until now has been called the “ordinary magisterium.” Before the introduction of this so-called “second level,” all non-infallible or non-defined teaching was exactly that: doctrine that should be respected and offered various levels of submission of mind and will, but still ultimately open to debate, discussion and development within the Church community.

What Ad Tuendam Fidem has done is to introduce formally through this “second level” a category of “definitive” but non-infallibly-defined doctrine. Cardinal Josef Ratzinger says that this second-level teaching is, in fact, infallible. He says that it includes “… all those teachings in the dogmatic or moral area which are necessary for faithfully keeping and expounding the deposit of faith, even if they have not been proposed by the magisterium as formally revealed.” As examples of second level definitive teaching he includes the condemnation of euthanasia, the validity of the canonization of a particular saint, the legitimacy of a papal election, and even the invalidity of Anglican orders. The gratuitous reference to Anglican orders is astonishingly maladroit and insulting; it reveals a real lack of ecumenical sensitivity.

There is also an emerging unspoken assumption among some very senior church leaders that the contemporary western world is so far gone in individualism, permissiveness and consumerism that it is totally impervious to church teaching. Claiming to assume the broader historical perspective, these churchmen have virtually abandoned the secularised masses, to nurture elitist enclaves which will carry the true faith through to future, more “receptive” generations. This is why the New Religious Movements (NRMs) have received so much favour and patronage in this papacy. The NRMs have embraced an essentially sectarian vision of Catholicism, are very hierarchical in structure and theologically reactionary. This is true of some elements in the Catholic charismatic movement, and also outfits like Opus Dei, Communion and Liberation, the Neo-Catechuminate and the Legionaries of Christ, as well as a number of other smaller, less significant groupings.

Over the years my public disquiet with increasing papal centralism and the erosion of the vision of a more ecumenical Catholicism is well known, especially in Australia. I have often been critical of the church’s leadership, perhaps too harshly at times, in books, broadcasts, talks and articles. I have been concerned with ecclesiastical narrowness and the de facto denial of catholicity. But I also constantly argued that it was only by “staying in” the priesthood that someone like myself could influence things and bring about change. But it was always an every-day decision to continue the struggle through the internal structures of the church. And there can come a moment when you decide that both conscientiously and strategically “staying in” no longer remains a viable or honest option. You realize that you can no longer collude in what is happening by remaining in the official priesthood.

While important, life-changing decisions may seem sudden to outsiders, and even some times to the person who makes them, that is rarely the case. Such conclusions are more likely to be the product of long unconscious reflection on an issue. Slowly the connections, inferences and directional movement in which the internal and unarticulated argument has been progressing comes into consciousness. Often it will be a single event that focuses your thought and impels you toward a decision. Suddenly you realize that, in conscience, you can no longer allow your name to be associated with what is happening. Of course, your judgement may be wrong, frighteningly so, but the Catholic tradition has always been that you must follow even an erroneous conscience. Certainly you must do everything you can to ascertain what is really happening and what your obligations are, but in the end you must be true to conscience.

What helped to focus my mind was the article “Catholic Fundamentalism. Some Implications of Dominus Jesus for Dialogue and Peacemaking,” by my friend, John D’Arcy May. [The article is one of a series of essays in the book, Dominus Jesus. Anstoessige Wahrheit oder anstoessige Kirche edited by Michael Rainer]. DJ is primarily directed against those Catholics involved in the “wider ecumenism” who have been trying to find common ground with the great non-Christian religious traditions. But DJ also managed to offend many Anglicans and Protestants through an awkwardly-worded passage that was so obscure that many journalists incorrectly took it to mean that only Catholics could be saved. The passage actually says that Anglicanism and the various forms of Protestantism “are not churches in the proper sense” (DJ, Paragraph 17).

It was the opening sentences of May’s commentary that struck me between the eyes. “There is no reason, in principle, why the Roman Catholic church, despite its enormous size and global presence, could not become a sect. Sectarianism is a matter of mentality, not size ... The deep shock Dominus Jesus caused in ecumenical circles consisted precisely in their exposure to the specifically Roman Catholic form of fundamentalism.” This put into words what I had unconsciously concluded but had not articulated.

It is precisely this movement in a sectarian and fundamentalist direction with which I profoundly disagree. A person with a public commitment like a priest is bound in conscience to ask: “Can I continue to co-operate with this kind of regime in the church?” I feel bound in all honesty to say now: “No. I cannot.” But I emphasize this does not mean that I have the slightest intention of leaving the community of the Catholic church, nor of abandoning my work in writing and media, as long as that is available to me.

But there is also a second constellation of reasons that have led to my resignation. They centre around the book Papal Power (1997) which is currently being examined by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), that part of the papal bureaucracy that deals with Catholic belief. I have consistently tried to keep this so-called “examination” in perspective and have not treated it too seriously. However, it is clear to me that the CDF is moving toward an escalation of the issue. This inevitably involves other people. The CDF demands that all correspondence with me pass through a third party, the Superior General of my religious order, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSCs). This means that my superiors and the order will be caught in any cross-fire between the CDF and myself. I do not wish to put them in this position.

On 14 December 2000 the current Superior General of the MSCs, Father Michael Curran, was summoned to a meeting in the Palazzo of the Holy Office in the Vatican. This meeting happened totally without my knowledge and I only found out about it five weeks later. At the meeting Father Curran was asked why I had not responded to three issues raised in a letter from the CDF sent to me via Curran and my Australian superior in April 1999. He responded by providing the CDF with an article I had written in a theological magazine called Compass responding to the CDF’s concerns. He felt the article “would go a long way to answering” the CDF’s questions. In the course of the discussion reference was also made to a mildly critical media statement about the CDF that I had made, which was briefly reported in the US National Catholic Reporter (16 July 1999).

Ratzinger claimed in a subsequent letter to Curran (18 December 2000) that my critical comments “may put [my] alleged adherence to magisterial teaching in question.” In other words, even if my theological answers in the Compass article were found to be satisfactory, the comments in the NCR would show that I had not really repented because I was still criticising the CDF after writing the Compass article.

However, the Cardinal’s chronology was wrong. His comments make it clear that he believes that the NCR interview was published after the Compass article. In fact, the 16 July, 1999 NCR interview was published several months before the spring 1999 edition of Compass.. I suppose you could forgive the Cardinal for not remembering that spring in the southern hemisphere comes in September-October, and not in April-May as in the northern hemisphere. The Compass interview was published in the southern spring of 1999, which was October-November. That is some three or four months after the July NCR article.

Be that as it may, the whole tone of Ratzinger’s letter to Curran makes it obvious that the CDF is preparing to censure me because the Cardinal’s comments clearly prejudge the issue. The constant difficulty in dealing with the CDF is that your accusers are also your judges. An accused person is not even allowed to choose their own defence counsel; they are not even permitted to know the counsel’s name.

This situation with the CDF will be exacerbated even more when a new book that I have edited is published in March in Australia and in the northern spring of 2001 in London and New York. It is entitled From Inquisition to Freedom.. It consists of interviews that I put together with six people who have also been “investigated” by the CDF. Those participating in it are Tissa Balasuriya, Hans Küng, Charles Curran, Lavinia Byrne, Jeannine Gramick, and Robert Nugent, as well as myself. I have contributed two other essays, the first outlining the history of how the Roman Inquisition eventually evolved into the CDF, and a second describing and critiquing the details of the Congregation’s procedures. While the tone of the book is respectful and moderate, I don’t think it will win friends and influence people in Rome. I foresee considerable problems. The most important of these are that the book will eventually place Father Curran particularly, and the MSCs generally, in the likely position of being forced by the CDF to take some form of punitive action against me.

I have no doubt that the Congregation will not go away, and that they will not let this matter rest. As the experience of the six other people in the new book makes abundantly clear, there is never any form of dialogue. The Congregation simply demands that a person not only submit to what they define as “doctrine,” but they are determined that you actually use the words that they dictate. I knew exactly what I was doing when I edited From Inquisition to Freedom, but I thought it was important these stories be told for they expose the injustice of the CDF’s procedures and their persecution of people who are clearly concerned to live a truly Catholic life and to give ministerial and theological leadership to others. But there is also no doubt that the book will lead to a further exacerbation of my relationship with the CDF, and that the order and Father Curran will be caught in the middle. My resignation will to some extent save them from that.

Finally, I want to make it absolutely clear that my resignation does not mean that I have any intention whatsoever of leaving the Catholic church. I am just changing status in the family. Catholicism is my home and I have no intention of leaving — come what may.

National Catholic Reporter, Posted March 9, 2001

Source: http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/documents/CollinsREASONS.htm

 

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