Sooner Catholic Serving the People of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Volume 37, Number 11 * May 29, 2011 Graduation 2011 Clockwise: Bishop McGuinness grad Brooke Shewmaker celebrates at the end of graduation May 17; Andrew Horn, Matt Thomason and John Lewis in their caps and gowns for graduation from Conception Seminary; Mount seniors toss their hats after graduation; St. Gregory’s grads walk to graduation. 2 Sooner Catholic ● May 29, 2011 What Have We Learned Since 2002? Sooner Catholic In the aftermath of the clergy the extent of harm inflicted by abuse Most Reverend sexual abuse crisis which erupted in and an unrealistic confidence in the Paul S. Coakley 2002, the United States Conference prospects of an abuser being “cured” “Put out Archbishop of Oklahoma City of Catholic Bishops commissioned through psychological treatment. into the Publisher the John Jay College of Criminal Today we more clearly understand deep and Justice to undertake two inde- and unequivocally affirm that any pendent studies to investigate this form of child abuse is an unspeak- lower Ray Dyer disastrous betrayal. The first study, able affront against the dignity of a your nets Editor examining The Nature and Scope of human person. Moreover, the sexual for a Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic abuse of a child by a priest, deacon or catch.” Cara Koenig Priests and Deacons, was published any Church worker bears an added Archbishop Layout/Photographer/ Luke 5:4 in 2004. The second study, examining weight of gravity because it involves Coakley Special Projects The Causes and Context of Sexual the betrayal of a sacred trust. Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests Though even one incident of the For instance, it did not find that and Deacons in the United States, sexual abuse of a single child is 7501 Northwest Expressway celibacy was a contributing factor was released on May 18 of this year. wholly unacceptable, the number of Oklahoma City, OK 73132 in any way. The sharpest rise in It should be clearly noted that these priests accused of abuse was not reported incidents occurred during (405) 721-1810 Fax: (405) 721-5210 are reports for the bishops, not by the found to be any greater than the the 1960s and 1970s and then e-mail: [email protected] bishops. number of abusers in the general dropped sharply in the mid-1980s. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 32180 These studies represent an population or in any other organiza- Those were years of great turmoil unprecedented self-scrutiny, unique tion. We are grateful for the 96 Oklahoma City, OK 73123 and upheaval both in society and in among institutions which serve percent of our priests who have the Church. Societal factors, such children in the United States or any- served faithfully. We are ashamed by as the sexual revolution, increased Visit us online through the where. We bishops thought it the criminal and sinful actions of the frequency of divorce, a sharp rise in Archdiocesan Web Page at necessary to undertake these studies 4 percent who have brought such drug abuse, as well as civil and social in order to understand the full extent sufferings upon victims and their www.catharchdioceseokc.org. unrest all parallel the pattern and of the problem and to ascertain families. As a bishop and priest, I time frame of the spike in sexual whether we are responding appropri- share a deep pastoral concern for abuse of children and young people The Sooner Catholic (USPS 066-910) is ately to protect our children and each innocent victim and as well as by clergy. published biweekly except for once in July ensure that this sort of violation for those priests who have been and twice in December by the Archdiocese never happens again. wrongly accused and whose reputa- The great majority of the reports of Oklahoma City. The report indicates that the tions have been diminished or of abuse across the United States Church’s failure to prevent the abuse destroyed. There have been many received in the last few years took of minors occurred for a variety of kinds of victims throughout this place more than 25 years ago. One of The newspaper is not responsible for reasons. During the period when period. the reasons that may account for the unsolicited material. most of the abuse occurred, there The results of the Causes and relatively few incidents of abuse in Copyright © 2011 Sooner Catholic was certainly a lack of adequate Context study indicate that there is the 21st century has been the great reporting mechanisms. There also no single cause to account for the emphasis which seminaries now was a lack of understanding about sexual abuse of children by clergy. continued on Page 3 Subscription rate: $20 per year for all who are not members of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Archbishop Coakley’s Calendar Periodical postage paid at Oklahoma City, OK 73125. The following events are part of Archbishop Coakley’s June 6 — Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma Inc. Golf POSTMASTER: Send address changes official calendar. Tournament Reception, 4:30 p.m. to the Sooner Catholic, P.O. Box May 29 — Confirmation, St. Andrew Dung-Lac Church, June 6 — Thursday, June 9, Clergy Days, Catholic 32180, Oklahoma City, OK 73123. 11 a.m. Pastoral Center May 30 — Mass at Resurrection Cemetery, 8 a.m. June 9 — St. Ann Retirement Center Board Meeting, May 31 — Mass at Catholic Pastoral Center, 11:30 a.m. Catholic Pastoral Center, 8 a.m. June 1 — Vocations Board Meeting, Catholic Pastoral June 10 — Mass for Curriculum Conference attendees, Center, 10 a.m. Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School Chapel, 8:30 June 1 — Thursday, June 2, Catholic Extension Society a.m. Board Meeting, Chicago, Ill. June 11 — Legion of Mary Mass, Catholic Pastoral June 3 — Mass and Dinner, Equestrian Order of the Center, 11 a.m. Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Christ the King Church, June 11 — Confirmation, Cathedral of Our Lady of The Sooner Catholic is 5:30 p.m. Perpetual Help, 5 p.m. supported through the June 5 — Confirmation, Holy Name of Jesus Church, June 12 — Confirmation, St. Peter Church, Woodward, 1 Archdiocesan Development Fund. Chickasha, 10 a.m. p.m. May 29, 2011 ● Sooner Catholic 3 John Jay Reports No Single Cause, Predictor of Clergy Abuse WASHINGTON — A landmark nary preparation for priesthood is John Jay. “Through its extensive this crisis, all the while quietly study by researchers at John Jay associated with the continued low processes of data collection and sta- serving with honor and self- College of Criminal Justice of the levels of child sexual abuse by tistical analyses,” she said, “the sacrifice every day of their lives.” City University of New York, which Catholic priests in the United researchers found that the crisis of The way forward for the bishops examined the causes and context States, she said. sexual abuse of minors by Catholic must be marked by humility and of the clergy sexual abuse crisis in The Causes and Context of priests is an historical problem.” partnerships with others, Bishop the U.S. Catholic Church, concluded Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic She added that “researchers Cupich said. “The shame of failing that there was no single cause Priests in the United States, 1950- also concluded that much of what our people will remain with us for a or predictor of sexual abuse by 2010 report by a John Jay College has been implemented through the long time. It should. Its sting can Catholic clergy. The report added research team, was made public Charter is consistent with a model keep us resolute in our commit- that that situational factors and May 18 in Washington. Terry pre- response to the prevention of child ments and humble so as to never opportunity to abuse played a sented the report to Diane Knight, abuse. However, this in no way forget the insight we came to significant role in the onset and CMSW, chair of the National should lull us as a Church into com- nearly a decade ago in Dallas. We continuation of abusive acts. Review Board, a group of lay placency.” cannot do any of this on our own.” “The bulk of cases occurred Catholics who oversaw the project, The Charter for the Protection Established in 1964, John Jay decades ago,” said Karen Terry, and to Bishop Blase Cupich of of Children and Young People was College of Criminal Justice of The Ph.D., John Jay’s principal investi- Spokane, Wash., who chairs the adopted by the U.S. bishops in 2002 gator for the report. “The increased U.S. Bishops Committee on the and has guided their response in City University of New York is an frequency of abuse in the 1960s Protection of Children and Young dealing with sexual abuse of minors international leader in educating and 1970s was consistent with the People. by clergy. for justice. It offers a rich liberal patterns of increased deviance of The study also found that the Bishop Cupich found hope in arts and professional studies society during that time.” She also initial, mid-1980s response of the documented progress that curriculum to upwards of 14,000 stated that “social influences inter- bishops to allegations of abuse was shows that “what we are doing undergraduate and graduate sected with vulnerabilities of indi- to concentrate on getting help for works” in addressing child sexual students from more than 135 vidual priests whose preparation the priest-abusers. Despite the abuse. He said that the inability to nations. In teaching and research, for a life of celibacy was inadequate development by the mid-1990s of a predict individual sexual deviance the college approaches justice as an at that time.” Terry also said that comprehensive plan for response “makes the safe environments applied art in service to society and neither celibacy nor homosexuality to victims and the harms of sexual programs valuable and necessary.” as an ongoing conversation about were causes of the abuse, and that abuse, diocesan implementation He added that “the Catholic Church fundamental human desires for priest candidates who would later was not consistent or thorough at has taken a position of zero fairness, equality and the rule of abuse could not be distinguished by that time.