Conference in Minnesota Discusses the Legal and Moral Ramifications of Sexual Misconduct by Clergy
Episcopal News Service. February 8, 1990 [90034]
Lindsay J. Hardin
A small group of 13 church leaders met in Minneapolis recently to discuss a potentially explosive and painful subject -- sexual misconduct by clergy.
"The problem is not a new one," said conference cosponsor Bishop Harold H. Hopkins, Jr., executive director, Office of Pastoral Development, House of Bishops. "The church has often looked the other way when inappropriate behavior occurs on the part of clergy. Our commitment now is to not only recognize that the problem exists, but to begin immediately to take preventative and educational steps," he said.
"It is a substantial problem in the mainline denominations," psychologist and author Gary Schoener told the group. "Sexual abuse and exploitation happen much more often than we realize. Most cases go unreported."
Although Schoener said that he believes that some clergy who exploit the trust of parishioners are repeat offenders or mentally ill, he said that others find themselves straying into improper sexual situations during a troubled marriage or due to professional isolation. A recent Newsweek article profiled the typical offender: male, middle-aged, disillusioned with his own calling, neglectful of his own personal life, isolated from his clerical colleagues.
"Sexual involvement by clergy is tantamount to family incest," said the Rev. Susan Moss, a member of Minnesota's Interfaith Task Force on Sexual Exploitation by Clergy. "The dynamics are the same -- parishioners come to church expecting that clergy will help provide a nurturing, caring environment, a safe place to grow in the faith. When that trust is betrayed, the whole congregation becomes the victim," she said.
The Rev. Margo Maris, canon to the ordinary in the Diocese of Minnesota, related her experiences of dealing with victims of sexual exploitation for the past six years in Lutheran, Roman Catholic, and Episcopal churches. "When a parishioner goes to a priest or pastor for spiritual counseling or direction, most likely that person is at a particularly vulnerable point in his or her life," she said. "Clergy are the ones who need to take the responsibility for keeping appropriate boundaries, for they are the ones with greater power in the pastoral situation. They are also the ones entrusted with the care and shepherding of souls -- and to take advantage of that sacred trust is always wrong," Maris said.
Maris said that she regards her job as one of reconciliation, bringing together those who have been abused with those who have abused the trust. "Our purpose is not to go after offending clergy so much as it is to help the victims become survivors. In order to begin the process of both healing and trusting the church again, they need to be heard. They need to say, 'You will not have that power over my life any more.' And the bishop or some denominational authority figure needs to know what happened so that he [or she] can insist on whatever discipline or treatment is needed," she said.
A new Minnesota law, which has close parallels in three other states, says that clergy may be found guilty of felony charges for a range of sexual misconduct, even that which falls short of intercourse. Under the statute, sexual contact that would otherwise be a gross misdemeanor is a felony if it occurs during psychotherapy. In a major break from the past, clergy are considered therapists under the law. Although there is some debate as to when a clergyperson is administering psychotherapy, the message is clear -- he or she may be found criminally responsible for entering into sexual relationships with parishioners, even if the parishioner has given consent.
Schoener said that he believes that lawsuits for all major denominations are on the rise. "If all the cases were to come forward and wind up in suit, the consequence could be very serious jeopardy for our churches," he said.
According to Bishop Hopkins, the goal is to begin the process of education at the national level, including training clergy to know how to respond when a person who has been victimized by a professional seeks help. It is also his hope that seminaries will become more active in training future clergy to avoid potentially hazardous situations.
As a result of the conference, a national task force will likely be formed, and a conference of bishops and designated individuals is tentatively scheduled for the spring of 1991, involving parts of provinces V and VI. The conference would be asked to consider forming a group of 10 to 12 people, each person to be on call to respond to sexual misconduct. They would work to bring offenders and victims together in hopes of reconciliation, and they would serve as a resource to bishops who often must deal with both crisis management and legal ramifications at the same time.
"It is crucial to have strong resources to address the problem," Hopkins said. "Our job is to help people mend."