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Allegations of Sexual Abuse Have Rocked Catholic Church

Aired March 26, 2002 - 13:25   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Once again, the allegations of sexual abuse have rocked the Catholic church, forced the subject into the spotlight on a national situation. One man who has worked with priests dealing with problems of sex abuse says despite that publicity, Catholic priests are no more guilty than clergy of other faiths.

That man is with us now. Thomas Plante edited the book, "Bless Me Father for I have Sinned," live from Stanford University, there in Palo Alto -- good afternoon to you. Good to see you. Thanks for coming on with us.

THOMAS PLANTE, PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR: Thank you.

HEMMER: If, indeed, priests are no more guilty than others, why is it then that the Catholic Church right now is being focused like a laser right now across the country?

PLANTE: That's a good question, and a question that many people have been asking. But we do know that the best available data suggests that approximately five percent of Catholic priests or brothers have had sexual experiences with minors that -- and the best available data does suggest that that number is consistent with male clergy from other religious traditions and with the general population. And, in fact -- of males -- and, in fact, with the general population it's probably slightly higher.

Now why the Catholic Church? Well I think that the situation is, is that because of the structure and hierarchy of the church, it works very different than other religious traditions. And because of that, if a particular religious superior or a bishop does not handle it very well as soon as the allegations come to light, and they have, for example, the case in Boston that started this all off, what happens is that you rack up quite a number of victims as this person gets moved from parish to parish. And so you get some of these huge cases that emerge in the Catholic Church that are less likely elsewhere.

HEMMER: And, Thomas, you're Catholic, I'm Catholic as well...

PLANTE: Yeah.

HEMMER: ... in the interest of fair disclosure here.

PLANTE: Yes. HEMMER: You have said, though, that the church is a juicy target. How so -- is this deep pockets or more than that?

PLANTE: Well, no, it's much more than that. Because what we value most in the United States, wealth, for example, and they take a vow of poverty; freedom, and they take a vow of obedience; and sexual freedom, and they take a vow of chastity. So we feel that the Catholic Church is particularly vulnerable because of those kinds of issues and because people on the street generally will say -- as you alluded to in your piece a minute ago -- that if priests could just marry this problem would go away. If it wasn't because of celibacy, this problem would go away. And we know that to be not the case, because celibacy and just not having sex for whatever reason, whether you're a church member, a priest, or whether you are just someone who doesn't have a suitable partner, does not predict sex crimes against children.

HEMMER: What you're suggesting is that once a pedophile, always a pedophile, whether you're married or not.

PLANTE: Yes, I think that's true. I think we think of this problem similarly as we think of alcoholism. That once somebody is an alcohol and addicted to alcohol, or if their predilection is for children and minors -- adolescent boys, for example -- then you cannot so much cure, but you can help them cope and manage the impulses. Should they belong back in a parish environment or teach in a parochial high school or act as a swim coach for a high school team? No. For the most part, we think that they should be treated with respect and compassion, that the victims obviously should be treated with care and compassion. But these folks really do not belong back with populations that could be further victimized.

HEMMER: Thomas, you know the church has dealt with some difficult issues in the past, and this is another one of them. Do you believe the Catholic Church here in this country is ready to face up and deal with these in an honest and straightforward fashion?

PLANTE: Well, you know, I think that's a hard question to answer, partially because I'm a psychologist. I'm not an attorney or a church historian or anything like that. I treat and evaluate both the perpetrators and the victims and consult with a variety of diocese and a variety of religious orders in the west.

HEMMER: OK. That may be true, and I'll give that to you, but I know you've worked with dozens of priests afflicted with the very thing we're talking about here.

PLANTE: Right.

HEMMER: Based on your information and your knowledge of their condition and their situation, do you have a sense that indeed the church in a broader sense is ready for this change?

PLANTE: Yes, I certainly do. And because I think that one of the advantages of the current media frenzy about this situation is, anyone who has been reluctant to handle it well, I think, is sitting up and taking notice. And for the most part, my experiences with the groups that I have worked with, they have done a much better job at screening and evaluating and so forth.

HEMMER: Yeah, quickly, I'm running out of time, but you have said before that you were just doing your part. As a Catholic, what is your part in this role?

PLANTE: Well I think as a Catholic, as an active -- believing Catholic myself -- my, I think, job and what I have tried to do is try to be helpful for the victims and the church in general and for the priests. I think taking the best science that we have, the best we have in terms of clinical practice and know-how and to have helped the church, help the rank and file Catholics, help the victims, is a gift that anyone should perhaps give to this situation.

HEMMER: Best of luck.

PLANTE: Thank you.

HEMMER: Thanks for sharing with us. Thomas Plante, live from Stanford University there, Palo Alto, California.

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