SEXUAL ABUSE SCANDAL AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR SEMINARY FORMATION
Keywords:
Boundary Violations, Celibacy, Celibate Achievement, Clerical Sexual Abuse, Dual Relationships, Intimacy Deficit, Paedophilic Disorder, Seminary Formation, Sexuality, Sexual IntegrationAbstract
According to research on the crisis of clerical abuse of minors in the Catholic church, especially the report of the John Jay College Research Team (2011), The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, defective human formation in seminaries contributed to the crisis. The article deals with ways of remedying the situation proposing suggestions for integrated celibate living and supports for achieving celibacy. Specific to paedophilia, there are details of the red-flags and warning signs that the formators need to pay attention to, as well as ways to address intimacy deficits, boundary violations and stress points in ministry which can trigger abuse.
References
A.W. Richard Sipe, A Secret World: Sexuality and the Search for Celibacy, New York: Brunner/Mazel, 1995.
A.W. Richard Sipe, Sex, Priests and Power: Anatomy of a Crisis, Philadelphia: Brunner/Mazel, 1995.
Gabriel Mathias, “Training for Celibacy,” Asian Journal of Vocation and Formation (July-December 2005) 30-43.
John Jay College Research Team, The Causes and Context of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Catholic Priests in the United States, 1950–2010, Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2011.
John Mark Falkenhain, “Living Celibacy: A Proposed Model for Celibacy Formation Programs,” Human Development 34, 2 (Summer 2013).
Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia, Post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation (19 March 2017).
Stephen J. Rosetti, “Some red flags for Child Abuse,” Human Development 15, 4 (Winter 1994) 5-11.
T.W. Krenik, Formation for priestly Celibacy: A Resource Book, Washington, DC: National Catholic Educational Association 1999.
