South African bishops denounce
abuse
By NCR STAFF
In response to news reports that abuse of nuns, including rape, is
a serious problem, especially in Africa, Catholic bishops in South Africa have
released guidelines for dealing with clergy involved in sexual abuse.
Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, president of the South African
Catholic Bishops Conference, expressed shock, disappointment and
condemnation of the reported abuse, saying church authorities have
difficulties dealing with such cases.
By their nature these cases are shielded by a culture of
silence, which makes it extremely difficult to uncover or process them. This is
the reason for our two-pronged approach involving a code of conduct and two
protocols, he said in a statement.
The guidelines, published April 25, come on the heels of a
statement by the Conference of Major Superiors of Nigeria, expressing
disappointment with the news reports, which were circulated worldwide after
NCR, in its March 16 issue, gave public airing to the problem, which has
long been known by church officials.
The NCR article cited four reports by senior members of
womens religious orders between 1994 and 1998 asserting that sexual abuse
of nuns by priests, including rape, was a serious problem, especially in
Africa. It said some Catholic clergy have exploited their financial and
spiritual authority to gain sexual favors from religious women, a situation
facilitated by cultural subservience of women in some regions.
The Vatican issued a statement March 20 acknowledging the problem.
The Holy See is dealing with the question in collaboration with the
bishops, with the Union of Superiors General and with the International Union
of Superiors General, the Vatican said.
Auxiliary Bishop Reginald Cawcutt of Cape Town, spokesman for the
Southern African bishops conference, said the code of conduct must
be issued to every candidate priest and religious in Southern Africa from the
very outset and should form a key aspect of candidates training.
His remarks were reported in an April 25 report in the Catholic newspaper
The Southern Cross.
A draft protocol for dealing with cases of sexual abuse or
misconduct by priests, religious and other church personnel has been accepted
by bishops and religious in the Durban archdiocese and will be finalized after
all clergy there have submitted further comments. It will then be referred to
the bishops conference and other Catholic leadership conferences in
southern Africa.
These steps have been taken in response to reports of cases
of abuse and misconduct, said Napier, the cardinal who heads South
African Bishops Conference.
In Nigeria, a statement by the conference of major superiors,
released in late April, said, We are concerned because the integrity,
generosity and fidelity of all African consecrated religious are led into
question by the news reports.
The reports recognized that this phenomenon (of sexual abuse
of nuns by clergy) existed worldwide yet they concentrated their stories
exclusively on Africa thus continuing the racial bastardization of the
so-called Dark Continent. This is all the more painful when we
recognize that their sources are missionaries who were supposed to bring the
Good News to Africans.
The statement was signed by Sister of St. Louis Patricia Ebegbulem
and Vincentian Fr. Urban Osuji.
NCR was unable to reach either of the signers before press
deadline.
The Durban protocol follows two other documents produced by the
South African church that deal with sexual abuse. Along with the Protocol
for Church Personnel in Regard to the Sexual Abuse of Children, and
Integrity in Ministry, this document sets out what the church
expects and demands of those it accepts into the priesthood, religious life and
pastoral ministry, Napier said.
These are urgently needed not simply to deal with such cases
but to counteract modern societys culture of permissiveness, ultraliberal
attitude to sexual and other moral questions, Napier said. He noted that
such a culture has apparently crept into the thinking and behavior of
some in church ministry as well.
The documents are aimed at confronting this problem
effectively, he said.
Catholic News Service contributed to this report.
National Catholic Reporter, May 4, 2001
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