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Priests of Religious Congregations in Ireland Who Have Sexually Abused Children and Vulnerable Adults

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Priests of Religious Congregations in Ireland Who Have Sexually Abused Children and Vulnerable Adults La Salle University La Salle University Digital Commons Th.D. Dissertations Scholarship 5-2020 Priests of Religious Congregations in Ireland Who Have Sexually Abused Children and Vulnerable Adults: Some Fundamental Psychotherapuetic Theoretical Considerations in the Provision of a Pastoral Care Vincent Fallon La Salle University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/religion_thd Recommended Citation Fallon, Vincent, "Priests of Religious Congregations in Ireland Who Have Sexually Abused Children and Vulnerable Adults: Some Fundamental Psychotherapuetic Theoretical Considerations in the Provision of a Pastoral Care" (2020). Th.D. Dissertations. 10. https://digitalcommons.lasalle.edu/religion_thd/10 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Scholarship at La Salle University Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Th.D. Dissertations by an authorized administrator of La Salle University Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. La Salle University School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Program in Theology and Ministry Dissertation Priests of Religious Congregations in Ireland who have Sexually Abused Children and Vulnerable Adults: Some fundamental Psychotherapuetic theoretical considerations in the provision of a pastoral care. By Vincent Fallon. (B.A. St. Patrick’s College, Maynooth. Ireland; M.A. University of Reno, Nevada. United States of America) Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Theology 2020 Priests of Religious Congregations in Ireland who have Sexually Abused Children and Vulnerable Adults: Some fundamental Psychotherapuetic theoretical considerations in the provision of a pastoral care. By Vincent Fallon Mentor: Fr. Francis Berna, Ph.D. Director of the Department of Theology and Ministry, La Salle University First Reader: Donna Tonrey, Ph.D. Second Reader: Fr. John Cella, OFM, JCD Dedication To my dear parents, Kevin and Mary, who instilled in me a deep love for learning Contents Dedication ...................................................................................................................... i Contents ......................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................... vi Abstract ....................................................................................................................... vii Introduction .................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter One The Roman Catholic Church in Irish Society .................................... 8 The Emergence of an Alliance between the State and the Roman Catholic Church 12 The Roman Catholic Church and Education ........................................................ 15 The Roman Catholic Church and Health Care ..................................................... 17 The Roman Catholic Church, Tenant Farmers, and Mothers ............................... 19 Decline of the Power of the Catholic Church in Ireland .......................................... 24 Decline in Church as Institution ........................................................................... 29 Decline in the Political Field ................................................................................ 31 Decline in the Educational field ........................................................................... 40 Decline in the Health field .................................................................................... 42 Decline in Social Welfare ..................................................................................... 43 Decline in the Media ............................................................................................. 45 Decline in the Family ........................................................................................... 50 Chapter Two Child Sexual Abuse in the Irish Catholic Church ........................... 55 Definition of Child Sexual Abuse ............................................................................ 56 Child Sexual Abuse in Ireland: Statistical Context .................................................. 61 Child Sexual Abuse by Catholic Clergy: Its Prevalence both in Ireland and Overseas ................................................................................................................... 64 Clerical Child Sexual Abuse in Ireland .................................................................... 67 Towards a Theory of Clerical Child Sexual Abuse and Offending from an Individualist, Psychological Perspective .................................................................. 69 Single-Factor theories of Sexual Offenders .......................................................... 71 Attachment, Intimacy, and Emotional Loneliness ................................................ 71 Deviant Sexual Preferences .................................................................................. 73 Emotional Regulation ........................................................................................... 75 Cognitive Distortions ............................................................................................ 76 i Empathy Deficits .................................................................................................. 77 Sexual Offending: Multifactorial Theories .............................................................. 80 Finkelhor’s Precondition Model ........................................................................... 80 Marshall and Barbaree’s Integrated Theory ......................................................... 82 Ward and Beech’s Integrated Theory of Sexual Offending ................................. 83 Opportunity, Rational choice, and Situational Considerations ............................. 84 Child Sexual Abuse: A Sociocultural Perspective ................................................... 86 An Evolution in the Understanding of Child Sexual Abuse ................................. 87 An Evolution in the Understanding of Childhood ................................................ 88 Shame and Stigma ................................................................................................ 91 The Media and Child Sexual Abusers .................................................................. 94 Moral Panic ........................................................................................................... 96 Child Sexual Abuse: A Brief look at the research from Feminist and Men’s Studies .................................................................................................................................. 98 Feminism – An Understanding of Child Sexual Abuse ....................................... 98 A Brief Look at Some of the Research from Men’s Studies (study of Masculinities) ..................................................................................................... 103 The Catholic Church: Clerics, Sexuality and Clerical Masculinity ....................... 108 Sexual Abuse in Childhood ................................................................................ 109 Clerical Identity and Masculinity: An Irish Perspective..................................... 115 Chapter Three Abuse Complaints: Church Response in Ireland ....................... 121 Response of the Catholic Church in Ireland to Child Sexual Abuse ..................... 124 Response of the Irish State to the Handling of Child Sexual Abuse by the Catholic Church .................................................................................................................... 130 The Ferns Inquiry ............................................................................................... 130 The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse in Ireland ................................... 134 Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin ............. 138 Commission of Investigation into the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne ................... 142 Some Repercussions from the Various Commissions of Investigations in Ireland ............................................................................................................................ 145 Some Explanations for the Irish Catholic Church’s Response to Child Sexual Abuse .................................................................................................................. 146 Canon Law and Clerical Child Sexual Abuse ........................................................ 151 Child Sexual Abuse: Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Francis ...................... 159 ii The Vatican and Local Bishops .......................................................................... 179 Clerical Child Sexual Abuse in the Catholic Church: Toward an Understanding . 183 The Theology of Clerical Sexuality .................................................................... 185 Power and Powerlessness ................................................................................... 187 The Clerical Role and Personal Identity ............................................................. 191 Good Moral Judgement ...................................................................................... 192 Loneliness and Isolation ....................................................................................
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