Fordham conference on abuse highlights ways the church can foster healthier culture of sexuality
In his report for National Catholic Reporter, Mark Levand, a professional sexologist and Catholic scholar, gave a thorough synopsis of a meeting of scholars who gathered at Fordham University, a Jesuit institution, as part of their “Taking Responsibility” initiative. In his opening, Mark pointed out that since some attendees recounted abuse by Jesuit priests, the importance of the “taking responsibility” theme was palpable.
The meetings focused on such issues as the use of language when discussing abuse in the church and how specific terms can help to focus discussion while other terms like ‘crisis’ seem to be less useful as we come to understand the more chronic nature of the problem. Still others pointed out the importance that language has as it relates to race. Other aspects of “the church” response , what that means and the many forms that it could take were also discussed in the light of high profile cases such as McCarrick and others. Pointing to church culture, priest formation and other factors that create an environment that enables abusers, the predominant theme was that the way forward is one of change and reform.