The Catholic Church's scandal of pedophile priests has provided ample ammunition for critics. Neuro-scientist Sam Harris, for example, has described the church as harboring an "army of child rapists".
Though the pedophile priest scandal has really only been in the public eye since 1980, allegations of abuse date back to the origins of the church, almost 2,000 years ago.
The First Signs of Abuse
In a manual for priests called Didache (Dih Dah KAY), which was already written and widely distributed by 100 CE, there is a rule that says, "Thou shalt not seduce young boys." (Coldrey) The Didache predates the canonization of the New Testament (circa 400 CE). (Lindberg)
Another reference comes from the Council of Elvira, 309 CE. The Council of Elvira is the earliest recorded church meeting aside from the Council of Jerusalem. At this meeting, the council proposed "irrevocable exclusion" (or banishment) from the church to those who sexually abuse boys. (Coldrey) Specifically, these early church elders wrote, "Those who sexually abuse boys may not commune, even when death approaches.
Abuse in the Middle Ages
The Middle Ages saw the development of many rules applying to the abuse of children. In the Penitential of St. Bede, a guide written by Bede to administer punishment for various wrongdoings, Bede writes that clerics who sodomize boys and girls should be punished by living off of bread and water for anywhere from three to 12 years. (Lombardi) Bede lived from 672 to 735 CE.
In 1051 CE, Saint Peter Damian wrote a treatise called the Book of Gomorrah, and it was openly addressed to Pope Leo IX. The treatise was a complaint to the Pope that there was rampant child abuse in the church and that church superiors were hiding it. Saint Peter Damian also wrote attacks against priests who were married. (Payer) The Pope responded by only punishing the most serious offenders (those who abused the most for the longest period of time), and said abuse was a spiritual issue, not a criminal one. (Payer)
In 1140 CE, a church canon lawyer wrote in his work the Decretum, that pedophile priests should be charged in secular courts. (Crompton)
Abuse During the Enlightenment
Pope Pius V, in his first year of his pontificate (1566), decided to attack widespread abuse by priests, and in 1568 wrote a papal order called the Horrendum which specifically named clerics who have committed "the sin against nature which incurs God's wrath". He stipulated that these clerics be deprived of income, suspended from office, and even be degraded publicly.
In 1741, Pope Benedict XIV wrote the "Sacramentum Poenitantiae," which was a four-page document addressing the sexual abuse amongst the clergy. (Wall) Pope Benedict recommended that the problem be dealt with internally. This reflects a system that had already been in place by the 1600s, which promoted and transferred priests accused of molestation in order to avoid scandal.
Abuse During Modern Times
From 1960 to 2010, more than 30,000 people in 25 countries have come forward and accused priests of molestation. The scandal has only really become widely known since about 1985, when Father Gilbert Gauthe pleaded guilty to 11 cases of sexually abusing children in Lafayette, Louisiana. He served 10 years in prison.
Since then, more and more attention to the pedophilia in the church clergy caused even Pope Benedict XVI to say he is "deeply ashamed" of the U.S.'s abuse scandal and will exclude pedophiles from the priesthood. In a letter to the Irish Catholic Church in March 2010, however, Pope Benedict blamed the scandal on "fast-paced change and secularisation", saying that it led to a moral decline. (Newenham) However, this contradicts directly all documents through the ages stating that pedophilia on behalf of the clergy has been a problem throughout the ages.
When Pope Benedict XVI was known just as Cardinal Ratzinger, he wrote that these types of allegations should be held to the highest level of secrecy, which is called a "pontifical secret."
In conclusion, the modern Catholic Church has repeatedly denied knowledge of pedophilia among its clergy. But, its own records state that pedophilia has been a problem within the church for a very long time.
Sources
- Coldrey, Barry, Ph.d. Religious Life Without Integrity, 2002, P & B Press, Como (W.A.), page 27, read The Didache here. www.early christian writings. com/didache. html
- Crompton, Louis (2006). Homosexuality & Civilization. Harvard University Press.
- Lindberg, Carter (2006). A Brief History of Christianity. Blackwell Publishing. pp. 15.
- Lombardi, Kristen. "Failure to Act," part 1, The Phoenix, 126 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02215
- Newenham, Pamela. Mixed reaction to pastoral letter. Irish Times, March 21, 2010.
- Payer, Pierre J. (ed.): "Book of Gomorrah: An eleventh century treatise against clerical homosexual practise," Waterloo, Ont., 1982. Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
- Wall, Patrick as told to Jim Brosseau (October 2005). "The Sins of My Fathers". GQ Magazine, p. 203.
Andrew Perry - Andrew has a B.A. in Philosophy & Journalism. He has worked professionally for newspapers, news sites, and local government.
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