More married than celibate

I refer to the contribution by your Special Correspondent, titled "Reflection on Recent Revelations" (The Sunday Times, November 2).

It is intended to be a reflection on child sexual abuse by clerics and religious. The outcome is a series of half truths and negative statements about celibacy.

To my mind, what is more serious is that several points expressed in this article do not only manifest lack of sufficient knowledge about celibacy and sexual abuse, but that they show an inadequate understanding of sexuality and marriage.

Throughout, I get the impression that marriage is meant for sexual satisfaction. No doubt, sexuality is an important aspect of conjugal life. But conjugal life implies much more than a sexual relationship and satisfaction.

The sexual aspect is satisfying to the couple if it is another manifestation of love, respect, sacrifice, self giving, responsibility and a host of other values. Otherwise sexual relations, even in marriage, become manipulative and wound more than unite and satisfy the couple.

Likewise, celibacy is not simply "non sex". It also implies and is a different manifestation of love, respect, sacrifice, self giving, responsibility and a host of other values.

The Special Correspondent has chosen to make a strong link between child sexual abuse and celibacy. However, he simply takes this link for granted and does not even try to prove the validity of this link. In fact, all scientific research and statistics that I have come across simply do not support this connection. Let me reproduce just a sample.

Dr Thomas Plante, Professor of Psychology at the University of St Claire and editor of the book Bless Me Father for I have Sinned: Perspectives on Sexual Abuse Committed by Roman Catholic Priests (1999), notes that some of the media hype leads people to blame celibacy. But he is of the opinion that: "If someone can't have sex for whatever reason, they aren't necessarily going to make children the object of their desire."

Philip Jenkins, a non-Catholic scholar and author of the book Paedophiles and Priests, considered to be the most comprehensive study to date, gives the figure of 0.03 per cent of priests afflicted with paedophilia. He came to this conclusion after surveying 2,252 priests over a 30-year period. This is not different from ministers of other denominations who do not lead a celibate life.

An unpublished dissertation reports that in 1984 R. Blackmon surveyed 1,196 ministers from four different denominations in Southern California (Assembly of God; Episcopalians; Presbyterians and United Methodists). Three hundred (25 per cent) answered this questionnaire. Of these 111 (37 per cent) reported engaging in sexual behaviour inappropriate for a minister; 36 (12 per cent) reported sexual intercourse with a church member other than their spouse. In these denominations none of their ministers are obliged to live a celibate life.

A. Kuchan reports (Survey of Incidence of Psychotherapists' Sexual Contact with Clients in Wisconsin, Gary Schoener et al., Psychotherapists' Sexual Involvement with Clients [1989]) that a multi-disciplinary survey has been sent to 4,500 therapists and counsellors in Wisconsin, including clergy; 1,559 answers (34.6 per cent) were returned. During this survey period (1982-84), there have been these complaints of sexual exploitation:

¤ 221 against psychiatrists;

¤ 127 against psychologists;

¤ 75 against clergy;

¤ 36 against medical doctors (apart from psychiatrists); and

¤ 23 against marriage counsellors.

One is to assume that most of these persons are not celibate.

Generally speaking, almost in every country 70-80 per cent of child sexual abuse cases take place in the family environment by parents, relatives and friends. Are most of these celibate?