Data shows that allegations of clerical sex abuse of minors have declined, while “clericalism hasn’t changed as much in the 21st century,” said Plante, who provided early consultation for the study.
Sex abuse of children and teens, he said, is a “common phenomenon regardless of where men are working.”
“When we look at anyone who has power and control … whether they be clerics, school teachers or tutors, you’re going to find a fair amount of child sex abuse,” he said. “We have to work hard to minimize that.”
Rubio and Schutz hope the report will “contribute to a healthier future for our Church,” they wrote.
They take what they call an “anti-clericalism” stance — not anti-priest. “On analogy with anti-racism, anti-clericalism is a moral stance that can be embraced by anyone with critical awareness of a structural problem,” their report said.
Among their recommendations, the authors said the church should provide spaces for open discussions of sex and sexuality. Including women in seminary classrooms and on seminary faculties and the study of feminist perspectives on the Catholic faith may also be “necessary to disrupt environments of male dominance and the perpetuation of male power.”
Lay people and religious should also be able to contribute their experience to church life. “Leveling the playing field in ecclesial life,” the report said, “is a part of constructing safer environments where sexual abuse will be less likely to occur.”
This article originally appeared here.
