Brad Hinze examines the aberration of Catholic priests who sexually prey on adolescents. (The book's topic is narrower than its title.) Statistics vary widely, but clergy seem to offend as often as do married and other single men. Hinze's text, which is very well written, is appropriately filled with qualifiers: “often,” “may,” “perhaps,” “might.”
Hinze's statistics indicate that the majority of the victims were boys. Most often the abuse occurred with clothes on, but in approximately 12 percent of the cases, the victim or priest undressed. The victims often experienced dissociation. Unfortunately, through much of this period, religious authorities focused mainly on the wayward priests, not the victims. Over time, this imbalance changed. Consequences also changed: at first, priests who offended might be moved to another parish or to therapy. Now such priests are fully removed from ministry.
Between 1965 and 1985, the “sexual revolution” broke out in the United States and throughout the world. Taken-for-granted standards, such as on birth control or homosexuality, were challenged. The tumult in the church continued much longer, aided by the magisterium's culture of secrecy and of unchanging teaching.
The last three popes gradually but hesitantly recognized not just the personal, but also the social dimension of pederasty. Prophetic countermovements among the faithful, both pro and con, rapidly grew. Investigative journalists, speaking truth to power, exposed the dysfunction. Grand juries gave voice to the victims.
According to Hinze, the early responses of many bishops were pastoral toward the offending clerics. Unfortunately, they were less pastoral toward those who had been abused. The bishops were especially concerned with financial and reputational consequences. Once the problem was journalistically exposed, however, the bishops developed no-tolerance policies, typically suspending offenders from exercising ministry. The bishops, however, resisted censuring themselves for malfeasance.
The three most recent popes had contrasting approaches. John Paul II paid no explicit attention to child sexual abuse. Benedict did censure pedophile priests but placed blame on secularized society. Francis also censured, though inadequately, the world's bishops.
Critique is not enough, so Hinze sketches three changes. He speaks vaguely about the need to aim at the equality, voices, and authority of the laity. He makes three proposals: end mandatory celibacy; call a synodal process to discern the ordination of women; and make no use of sexual orientation to discriminate among priestly candidates. He leaves indeterminate how and whether these changes will diminish clerical pedophilia.
Recent popes have closed off discussion on the priestly ordination of women. Still, Francis has opened the door to women into some high offices, but none with binding authority over priests and bishops. Likewise, the question of ordaining gay men has been shunted off. Nevertheless, the laity continue to raise these issues because societies continue to evolve on these gender matters.
Hinze rightly worries about a developing double consciousness: Catholic priests teach a strict sexual morality, while not believing what they teach. In the areas of sexuality and gender, Hinze calls for dramatic doctrinal development and radical reforms. At bottom, he argues that the church needs a new theology of sexuality and gender.
The book concludes with an imperative: we must promote dialogue. It proposes three possibilities. First, the synodal way, examples of which have already occurred in Limerick, Australia, and Germany. Still, the bishops assert that they must have the final say. Second, the way of restorative justice in which victims meet their assailants. Still, this process is too individualistic and does not probe the deeper issues that make abuse possible.
Third, the way of seekers at the church's margins. Here involved would be those who to greater or lesser extent have become disaffiliated. Such persons, Hinze predicts, might get engaged if the church more readily acknowledged the possibility of allowing various groups to develop their own doctrinal and practical consensus. This points to polycentrism in the church. Hinze ends by citing the words of John XXIII: “In essentials unity, in doubtful things liberty, in all things charity.” But then he cautions: Who decides what is essential?
Hinze's disturbing account gives a shocking overview of clerical pedophilia, but he leaves unresolved how the church can best treat this open sore in the Body of Christ.
