Abused nuns:
Reaction Problems cry out for reform
By A.W. RICHARD SIPE
Fr. Peter Larkin, a missionary to Afric -- an AIDS sufferer
himself -- disrupted a 1989 Vatican conference in Rome by shouting our and
brandishing a poster that said: The church has AIDS. He was removed
from the hall, and the disturbance was quelled.
Later, Larkin returned to the meeting, and that afternoon Fiorenzo
Angelini (now a cardinal) arranged for the priest to meet the pope. The
incident sizzled across the wire services to the international press.
What were the lasting results of this public notification?
Without doubt some readers of Reports of abuse in the
March 16 NCR will receive the article as a similar sensationalistic
disruption of the multiple good faith efforts of the church to deal with the
problems of AIDS and abuse. Others will read it as a disloyal exposure of
in house distress or, worse, as journalistic exaggeration, church
bashing, or even lies. Others may wish to dismiss it as an African
story.
It is none of the above. It is a summons for sexual/celibate
responsibility and accountability, even reform, from those who claim moral
authority.
The sources for the NCR article were not only reliable and
informed religious, but each expressed her/his concern in measured tones, in
appropriate ecclesiastical venues. What were the results? The authors of the
article cannot be cited for haste or sensationalism in publishing the story.
The substance of the allegations contained in the story has been widely known
for years and circulated from other equally reliable firsthand witnesses.
An African priest, assigned to Rome -- who, by the way, was
sexually abused during his seminary training by a European priest -- wrote me
many years ago, deeply concerned after he returned from a trip to his own
country. A religious friend, the superior of a local convent of sisters, had
difficulties with the bishop. He went on to specify that the bishop
requested that the superior general should allow her sisters to be used
by the priests, so as to prevent his priests from getting AIDS. The
priest said that he knew from his own observation that white sisters in
Africa have to struggle to set boundaries and say no to priests
advancements.
Certainly there are some cultural differences between Africa and
America regarding sexuality, but there are some similarities between the sexual
behaviors of priests in both locations. I, among others, have interviewed two
American nuns who convincingly alleged rape by U.S. priests. I, with others,
have reviewed the report of a pregnant nun who reluctantly revealed that the
childs father was a bishop. Care and all expenses were carefully taken
care of through his office. Secrecy, but no abortion. The problem of AIDS among
American clergy has already received public attention. What is the response to
knowledge of these problems in America?
Everyone concerned with the substance of the report on abuse
surely hopes for some results -- for some response from the system, for some
sign of reform from church authorities. But what are the results from the six
wise recommendations Medical Missionary of Mary Sr. Maura ODonohue placed
before Cardinal Eduardo Martínez and his staff at the Vatican
congregation for religious in 1995? Where is the voice for the
voiceless she pleaded for?
Sr. Marie McDonald lobbied Rome in 1998 for concerted
action. What are the results from her efforts?
What is the response to Fr. Robert J. Vitillos thoughtful
challenge to theologians to face the daunting task of elaborating a
substantive theology of human sexuality?
Surely the Vatican official who spoke to NCR -- albeit
ironically from behind the shield of anonymity -- put a finger on the immense
problem secrecy poses in coming to grips with abuse in the clergy.
Talking about the problem, the official said, is the first
step toward a solution.
Why have all the intelligent and spiritually motivated efforts
recorded in the article produced negligible results?
One reality that gives the problems recorded a special urgency and
force is missing from all the accounts. One word is never mentioned. Crime.
Rape (sexual abuse and harassment, too) is a crime. Collusion to cover up crime
is itself negligent and reprehensible. So is conspiratorial silence; so is the
failure to protect the endangered and warn the innocent. Church authorities
cannot plead ignorance, nor innocence.
What will be the result of all this?
Richard Sipe is a researcher and the author of Celibacy: A
Way of Loving, Living and Serving. He is currently working on a book about
priests with AIDS. His e-mail address is awrsipe@aol.com
National Catholic Reporter, April 6,
2001
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