THE
P RTAL
September 2018
Page 9
Catholic Social Teaching
The abuse of children
Fr Ashley Beck
T he social
teaching of the Catholic Church insists, as you would expect, that children and those
who are vulnerable are entitled to protection. So the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church
(section 245) says ‘It is essential to engage in a battle, at the national and international levels, against the
violations of the dignity of boys and girls caused by sexual exploitation, by those caught up in paedophilia
and by every kind of violence directed against these most defenceless of human creatures.’
I am writing this article on the day when Pope
Francis has issued a special letter ‘To the People of
God’ and by the time you read my words you will have
had many opportunities to reflect on his reaction to
the continuing revelations about the abuse of children
by clergy and Religious. I think his letter was reacting
primarily to the scandal which has come to light in
the United States, particularly in Pennsylvania, but
in England we can also see it as a response to recent
reports of abuse and incompetence at the Benedictine
schools at Ampleforth and Downside. It is a sorry tale
- we must not lose our sense of shame as a community,
or of anger, as we pray for the victims and their
families, who have so often not been listened to. We
cannot blame anyone else, we cannot say this is all
anti-Catholicism: it is our fault as a community. Over
the years I have been horrified at the extent to which
people in the Church are capable of turning grave
scandals into a pretext for self-pity.
culture, deeply corrupt and obsessed with protecting
the reputation of the institution. All of us need to
think about why such a culture has been strong in the
Church.
We should be thankful that at least in this country
we have good child protection policies in our parishes
and schools. We need not to be complacent, and we
should make sure they work properly and not moan
about them. Our parishes need to be safe for children
and the vulnerable, not safe havens for criminals.
The Holy Father has called on parishes and Catholic
communities to engage in acts of penitence in relation
to this scandal. We need to take this seriously and
think about how we can best do what he asks us to do.
We also need to pray for the perpetrators of abuse,
and for many this will be the hardest thing. But it’s
a key part of Catholic social teaching about crime
For those of us who used to be members of the and punishment. We don’t believe in locking people
Church of England there is an added source of pain up and throwing away the key. Those who are guilty
and shame. The recent revelations about the diocese need to be helped to seek forgiveness, to accept their
of Chichester, a part of the Anglican family where punishment, and to be converted anew. We remain
Anglo-Catholicism has been strong for many years, responsible for them.
are equally horrifying. Many of us have been reared
We know that many have stopped going to Church
and nurtured there, myself included.
because of this scandal. It’s too easy to dismiss this by
In all these cases we have to be clear, if we’re fed saying that ‘it’s just an excuse’; if we’re serious about
properly by the Church’s teaching, about our response. penitence we need to try and reach out to such people
and listen to them.
The first priority must be to pray for the victims
We need to continue to love the Church. Warts and
of these unspeakable acts and their families, and to
all, it is our home, the only true home we’ve got, even
ensure, if we can, that their voices are heard.
if at times it’s a damaged and broken home. If we’re
We need to be clear that there are no excuses for the honest we know that it always has been, as it’s made up
conduct of bishops, abbots and othes in authority who of sinful human beings. But we still need to recognise
in so many cases failed to respond to the wickedness in the sin and name it. Pray too for the Holy Father, for
their midst. Denial of what was happening, moving the all our bishops, and our Religious Orders.
perpetrators on, failing to report crimes to the police,
Above all, we need to pray and talk about what has
victimising the victims, lying, destroying records
- these were signs of a dysfunctional ‘ leadership’
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