by Michelle Boorstein
The Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis is caused by a too-fawning deference to clerics called “clericalism.” Or a failure to guard against the sleazy culture outside the church. Or a moral relativism that denies one “truth.” Or gay priests. Or a warped bureaucratic structure that’s kind of like the Mafia.
U.S. Catholics know they are in the thick of a clergy sexual abuse crisis, but that’s where agreement ends. When the abuse topic exploded in the church in the early 2000s, everyone knew the focus was stopping the shuffling around and cover-up of priests abusing children.
In 2019, there’s a void. With that lack of consensus, many parish priests are saying little about the crisis.
Originally published on 27 March 2019 at The Washington Post.
The Institute for Human Ecology
The Catholic University of America
620 Michigan Avenue, NE
339 Caldwell Hall
Washington, DC 20064
© 2024 The Institute for Human Ecology. All rights reserved.