Its Not About Celibacy
- DEAL HUDSON
The recent pedophile problems in various U.S. Catholic dioceses, especially Boston, have led predictably to a new wave of questions about priestly celibacy. Let us be clear: There is no relation between the vow of priestly celibacy and the incidence of pedophilia among Catholic priests.
The recent pedophile problems in various U.S. Catholic dioceses, especially
Boston, have led predictably to a new wave of questions about priestly
celibacy. Let us be clear: There is no relation between the vow of priestly celibacy
and the incidence of pedophilia among Catholic priests.
How do I know
this? There is less likelihood that a Catholic priest will be a pedophile (0.3%)
than a married man.
This statistic comes from the best and most current
study of this issue, Pedophiles and Priests by Philip Jenkins (Oxford University
Press, 1996). Jenkins shows that true pedophilia, that is, sexual contact between
an adult and pre-pubescent child, is very rare in the Catholic priesthood.
Jenkins also explains how the media artificially exaggerates these numbers
in their reporting. One U.S. Cardinal told me recently that many of the reported
incidents of "child abuse" are actually complaints going back many years about
the forms of corporal punishments administered by clergy in days-gone-by. Data
about actual sexual contact and routine spanking or paddling are being thrown
together.
The whole argument against a celibate, male clergy based on
the pedophilia problem is, at best, impressionistic and, at worse, totally disingenuous.
Catholic dissidents who advocate married clergy and women priests are
trying to take full advantage of this present situation. Never once do they mention
that if a priest is faithful to his vows sexual relations of any kind will simply
never occur. Just how allowing clergy to marry, presumably members of the opposite
sex, will reduce pedophilia, is never explained.
The media is scrutinizing
the Catholic Church on this issue in a way they have never looked at other institutional
leaders, such as public elementary schools teachers, for example. The mere fact
that the statistical incidence of pedophilia among priests is less than among
married men with children should give the media pause, but it does not and will
not.
I can't think of a single mainstream media outlet, with the possible
exception of Fox News, that does not demonstrate a consistent bias against the
Catholic Church. This is not to point a finger at every reporter and editor, but
to underline the constant tone and drift of their reporting.
Why, for
example, would MSNBC spend an evening inviting people to call in and vote on whether
Catholic priests should be allowed to marry? Would MSNBC do a poll on whether
Jews should be allowed to eat pork on their holy days?
As Bill Donohue
of the Catholic League has shown for years, the media has no fear of offending
Catholics because Catholics evidently don't care if their faith is put up for
a vote.
A statistical defense of the Catholic clergy, however, is not
enough to address the present crisis. There must be serious rethinking of how
to identify potential pedophiles before they enter the priesthood, and how to
deal with them once an incident occurs. It is clear such a priest can never again
to be assigned to duties that put children at risk.
The Church will
get its house in order without the help of those who want to knock it down and
start again.
This is Meaghen Gonzalez, Editor of CERC. I hope you appreciated this piece. We curate these articles especially for believers like you.
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Acknowledgement
Deal Hudson. "Its Not About Celibacy." (February, 2002).
This article was reprinted with permission of Deal Hudson.
The Author
Deal W. Hudson is the director of the Morley Institute for Church & Culture, and is the former publisher and editor of Crisis Magazine, a Catholic monthly published in Washington, DC. He is the author of seven books: Onward Christian Soldiers: The Growing Political Power of Catholics and Evangelicals in the United States; Understanding Maritain: Philosopher and Friend; The Future of Thomism; Sigrid Undset On Saints and Sinners; Happiness and the Limits of Satisfaction and his autobiography, An American Conversion.
Copyright © 2002 Deal Hudson