Pedophilia Not Unknown, but Rare, in Episcopal Church
Episcopal News Service. March 25, 2002 [2002-069]
Ed Stannard, News editor of Episcopal Life
(Episcopal Life) Recent revelations of sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests may cause Episcopalians to wonder: Can it happen here?
While instances of pedophilia have occurred in the Episcopal Church--and likely in many other faith and secular groups as well--safeguards that were set in place as much as 10 years ago by dioceses and the Church Insurance Company (CIC) make it less likely that this church would suffer such a tragedy, say those involved in sexual-abuse prevention.
The issues concerning sexual abuse in the church are complex, involving screening candidates for ordination (although lay employees and volunteers are also potential abusers), procedures to handle cases that come to light and safeguards to keep offenders from being able to repeat the abuse. Part of the scandal in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston was that former priest John Geoghan abused scores of boys but was moved from one parish to another during a 36-year career.
"There's a clear feeling that the Episcopal Church was one of the leaders in these requirements, which have become pretty much accepted," said Rod Webster, senior vice president and general manager of the Church Insurance Company, a division of the Church Pension Group. In the early 1990s, he said, "a lot of people fought back, even in the church. A lot of people thought it couldn't happen here. ... But you don't hear that anymore. What was revolutionary has become, 'Of course we do this.'" Now, Webster said, dioceses are asking for more information and guidelines.
Set of procedures
CIC and others in the church began to act after a jury awarded a Colorado woman $1.2 million in a judgment against the Diocese of Colorado and then-Bishop William Frey in 1991 (Frey was named as ecclesiastical authority). Now, CIC encourages dioceses and others it insures to put in place procedures such as
A sexual-misconduct policy and procedure manual.*
Background checks of all clergy and volunteers who regularly supervise youth activities, as well as all other employees.*
Four hours of child sexual-abuse awareness training for those clergy, employees and volunteers.*
Four hours of training on issues of sexual harassment in the workplace and sexual exploitation in pastoral relationships.*
Ongoing supervision of clergy and other pastoral-care providers, including professional counseling when appropriate.*
Adoption of procedures to notify authorities and to assess and rehabilitate suspected abusers.*
"These were the beginning and these came very early among the denominations in addressing the issue," said Webster. "Many of them have followed this process but a number of years later."
There have been cases more recently of pedophilia and other sexual misconduct in the Episcopal Church, though the biggest cases are the result of claims a number of years ago:
A jury awarded $105 million in the case of a teacher at the* private, Episcopal-related Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina. Edward Fischer was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the abuse of 13 boys in the 1970s and early '80s, according to an Education Week article.
Former Episcopal priest Kenneth Behrel was found guilty on* February 7 of abusing a 14-year-old boy at St. James School near Hagerstown, Maryland, in the 1980s, according to the Washington Post.
Managing the risks
Webster said the claims against Church Insurance have been difficult, and that the trustees of the Church Pension Group have examined whether CIC should continue offering such insurance. Webster is in favor of continuing such coverage, as well as "risk management" programs in which victims and others are counseled about ways to proceed with charges of sexual misconduct. "These things, if they're handled well by the institution, the scars disappear immediately." Most victims love their church and aren't looking for money, he said.
"We are better able to get risk-management focus on this issue as a family, if you like, than to leave it to the marketplace."
The Rev. Virginia Herring of Greensboro, North Carolina, co-chair of the Committee on Sexual Exploitation, noted that the diocese has primary responsibility for conduct of its clergy. Almost every diocese has procedures in place to handle sexual misconduct, she said.
"In general, and this is very general because [dioceses] are different ... [the church] responds to allegations with an investigation and Title 4 proceedings kick in," she said. A diocesan review committee would have responsibility for investigating accusations, and the bishop has authority to suspend an accused priest.
Herring also said it's unlikely that a pedophile would be moved from one parish to another. "That used to be the norm but it is no longer the norm," she said. "The church began responding to this in the late '80s, early '90s and from that point on we have worked hard not to do that."
Of course, the ideal is for candidates to be screened beforehand so that pedophiles won't ever wear a collar or work with youth. That's where background checks come in, but nothing is foolproof, said Herring.
Healthy clergy is key
"The issues around prevention have to do with having healthy clergy," she said, noting that most sexual-misconduct cases do not involve pedophilia. "It's from people [who] for whatever reasons get careless and unthinking in their pastoral relations and they abuse the trust and the healthy boundaries."
The Rev. Canon Gene Robinson of the Diocese of New Hampshire is executive secretary of Province 1, comprising the seven New England dioceses. His province has been cited by Herring and others as a model for its safeguards against abusive clergy. It offers training for those who might be involved in Title 4 cases, as well as background checks, education and standard policies and procedures across the province.
"I would call it an unqualified success in terms of the education effort in our congregations," said Robinson. Church employees come to the training skeptical but go away empowered, because they realize they're the front line of defense against abuse. The more employees understand the issues, Robinson said, "the less likely this behavior is going to go unnoticed."
RESOURCES
Brochure
"Preventing Sexual Misconduct: A Guide to Resources" by Church Insurance Co., available at www.cpg.org/insurance/publications/index.html or from 445 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10016.
Agencies
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information (a service of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), www.calib.com/nccanch.
National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse, www.childabuse.org
Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence (offers workshops, videos, quarterly newsletter), www.cpsdv.org
The Child Abuse and Neglect State Statutes (most recent statutes on aspects of child abuse), www.calib.com/nccanch/whatsnew.htm