Why Victims of Catholic Priests Need to Hear More Than Confessions

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Pope Francis has critical US Catholic bishops for their handling of the widespread sexual abuse of children by predatory priests. He even called for a new mode of management and a new state of mind in the face of this crisis. More recently, the pope summoned the presidents of all episcopal conferences around the world to come to the Vatican from February 21 to 24 for a Encounter on how to respond to the ever-present scandals.

As trauma psychologists who have collectively spent nearly 60 years investigating and treating the devastating effects of violation and assault, we have concrete suggestions based on clinical experience and research for such change.

People have been talking for years about the need for the Catholic Church to treat the victims of clerical sexual abuse with respect and dignity, to fire the perpetrator priests and to have real accountability for the bishops who facilitated and allowed the abuse. . But, when the leading Catholic bishops come together for their February meeting, they have to tackle the dark cloud hanging over the synod – something called institutional betrayal.

Wrongdoings perpetrated by an institution upon which individuals depend can be as devastating as family violence. So far, the failure of the Catholic Church to prevent sexual assault or respond with support to survivors has been a huge breach of trust and has produced reverberating fountains of damage.

Because the institutional betrayal is so serious and its effects so profound, what is called institutional courage will be needed to put in place tangible reversals for meaningful correction and future prevention.

Trauma on another level

Girls line up to receive communion from a Catholic priest.
Wideonet/Shutterstock.com

Research on betrayal trauma can help illustrate the damage caused by the Church. Trauma of betrayal, or trauma perpetrated by people you trust, such as family rape, child abuse perpetrated by a caregiver, and domestic violence, are particularly toxic. the brain seems to remember and process the trauma of betrayal differently from other trauma. It is likely that the impact on the heart and soul is also different. When a victim depends on an abuser for their survival and sustenance, the very foundation of their existence is at stake. Everything they believe about themselves, others and the world can be unreliable, distorted and harmful, like a carnival mirror. Except there’s no walkthrough, no easy evasion, and no validation that the images are distorted.

People, especially children, can trust and depend on institutions in the same way that people depend on family. For many members of the flock, the Catholic Church was not just a place of worship and community, but a source of security and spiritual growth.

A growth body of psychological science has examined the role of institutions in traumatic experiences. When victims of sexual abuse face denial, harassment and insensitive investigative practices, it is institutional betrayal. There is no doubt that the Church is guilty of acting to harm its members, as knowingly hire clergy with allegations of abuseas well as failing to take steps to protect, such as not responding to reports of abuse.

The institutional betrayal was bound physical and mental health issues of survivors. For example, experiences of institutional betrayal are associated suffering from post-traumatic stress and depression, as well as increased risks of attempting suicide. Along with the direct sinister effects of being sexually assaulted by a priest, these institutional betrayals lay down an extra thick, sticky layer of shame, disgust, alienation, and loss.

Heal wounds

Pope Francis in Krakow, Poland, for World Youth Day 2016.
Marcin Kadziolka/Shutterstock.com

In early 2002, the Boston Globe investigative team, Spotlight, reported on a pattern of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy and cover-up by the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Over time, shocking and credible allegations have poured in. The world learned that these were not isolated incidents. These widespread assaults and wrongdoings are clearly systemic in nature. And it doesn’t just happen in the United States, but in other countries also.

It’s 2019. The sexual abuse and cover-up in the Catholic Church hasn’t stopped. In fact, he seems to have had a recurrence, at least in his reports. At least 16 states began to seriously investigate the allegations, issue subpoenas and expose predation, within their borders. Some Catholics are discouraged, lose faith and feel intense anger. For many, the scars have not cured.

The pope has been an ardent defender of immigrants – drawing attention to the difficulty of their plight and the compassion necessary for their embrace. Survivors of clerical abuse can be considered refugees of some sort. These survivors are homeless from their spiritual home, fleeing from past dangers and current and continuing disbelief and derision. They need assistance and protection, and a soothing balm. Many are exhausted from having raged in a war to be heard and exhausted from spiritual starvation.

Organization of the Episcopal Conference in February and meeting with the survivors forward time is not enough. It’s a beginning. But not enough. The answer, in our view, is institutional courage. The Roman Catholic Church must do more than own the situation, institute deserved repercussions on the perpetrators, and demand better. More specifically, they must define and apply significant, substantial, corrective and preventive measures. These include genuine and concrete changes, such as acknowledging wrongdoing, apologizing, correcting and retracting false statements, committing to conduct regular and ongoing self-assessments, operating with transparency, and engaging wholeheartedly in a restorative process. An Introduction to Institutional Reparations control List could be tracked and made public for the world to see.

Healing from trauma can be complicated, but it is possible. Although acknowledgment of the trauma by the abuser or institutional traitors is often not sufficient for healing, apologies and restitution can have a positive impact on the recovery process. As part of a true embrace of institutional courage, there is a need to provide meaningful education to all church leaders about the trauma of betrayal and institutional betrayal. Moreover, it will be crucial to publicly commit funding for each of these steps of institutional courage.

At this next meeting of presiding bishops Encounter in Rome, we pray that Pope Francis will stand on the balcony above St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, arms outstretched, calling out to his congregation, honoring those who dared to whistle and asking for forgiveness. The survivors deserve nothing less than recognition, address and apology for these horrific individual and institutional betrayals. This is a great opportunity to repair and prevent the continuation of traumas as well as future injustices.

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