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Sunday, March 31, 2002The bishop of my own diocese acknowledged as much in his pastoral letter on the subject. He asserted that the diocesian policy consists of removing “diagnosed pedophiles” from parish duties. How do you diagnose a pedophile? Is it at the first accusation? At an admission of guilt? Or is it when the charge is proven in a court of law? Or does it take being caught in the act like Father Conway in the Newsweek piece? Furthermore the Church’s response is to send these men to treatment centers and then back to their folds as if they were alcoholics or drug abusers. Father Conway, even though he was caught in bed with a boy by a nun, was retired on “disability”, and even now one of his former colleagues commented to his hometown newspaper that, “Any person, priest or no priest, that carries the burden of that illness is carrying a terrible weight.'' Clearly, the Church has bought the disease model of pedophilia hook, line, and sinker. While the American Psychiatric Association does classify pedophilia as an illness, it also emphasizes that it is a criminal act and one that can not be tolerated by society. What’s more, it acknowledges that it is generally not curable, and that pedophiles thus bear close watching the remainder of their lives. In addition, pedophilia involves prepubescent children, so what most of these accused priests have been doing isn't technically pedophilia, it's sexual assault of minors. I submit that what has been going on her isn't so much a disease as a moral failing, just as lying and thieving are moral failings. While Newsweek portrays Father Conway as a man suffering under the burden of his compulsion, his hometown knows better (see the above link to his hometown newspaper): “The Newsweek article portrays Conway as someone who had isolated himself on his 18-acre farm in Cuyahoga Valley National Park and has vowed not to be alone with teen-agers. But reports from neighbors, police and public records paint a different picture of the 65-year-old Conway. Neighbors complain that Conway hosts noisy festivals and had a dog-breeding business on his property. Police records show that he has had minor brushes with the law. Conway had another career after leaving the church. In March 1988, he began working for the Cuyahoga County Child Support Enforcement Agency, where he had daily contact with families. Supervisors with the agency said he worked mainly with fathers who owed child support, and would not have had direct contact with children. Conway had a rocky eight-year tenure with the agency. According to personnel records, he was demoted when he couldn't handle his workload, and he received multiple complaints from colleagues for excessive belching and flatulence. In 1996, he left the agency after being accused of forging signatures on affidavits.” “...Conway has been arrested three times by Cuyahoga Falls police. He was twice sentenced to jail -- once for disorderly conduct and once for receiving stolen property -- but each time the sentence was suspended. In April 1997, he was arrested for seeking parts for a stolen cell phone at a Radio Shack store. He was found guilty of the charge of receiving stolen property and received a 30-day jail sentence, which was suspended. He paid a fine and court costs. Three months later, he was sentenced to another 30 days on the disorderly conduct charge for stealing bottles of oil paint from a Pat Catan's store. This sentence also was suspended and Conway paid a fine and court costs.” “...Neighbors said yesterday Conway has had frequent visitors. ``He doesn't keep to himself,'' neighbor Karen Ludwick said. ``He's always been an unusual character. It's like he's been more or less a thorn in our sides.... I don't know what he (Conway) is doing'' by bringing attention to himself and the neighborhood.” ``It's like he's flaunting it. He's very slick in everything that he does.'' Clearly, Father Conway is someone with a broken moral compass. The most disturbing revelation, however, comes from his sympathetic former colleague: ``The police never came in and there was no criminal investigation and he didn't reveal anything -- he left in quite a hurry,'' he said. ``Now, there are no more secrets.” Therein lies the problem, and hopefully the solution. The police never came, there was no criminal investigation, even though he was caught in the act by a nun. The Church needs to realize that this is not an illness. Priests who are guilty of sexually assaulting minors should be defrocked and turned over to the law. Let’s hope the hierarchy grasps this, and that the era of secrets ends. CORRECTION 4/1/02: I misstated the facts about Father Conway and the boy in his bed. The nun found a boy in his bed, but she did not find Father Conway in bed with him. posted by Sydney on 3/31/2002 05:36:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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