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Slayer of the Soul: Child Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church
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206 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1990
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September 20, 2024
A SERIES OF ESSAYS BY A WIDE-RANGING ASSORTMENT OF PROFESSIONALS, AND ABUSERS
Stephen Joseph Rossetti (born 1951) is a Catholic priest, author, educator, licensed psychologist, retreat master and expert on psychological and spiritual wellness issues for Catholic priests. He has written other books such as 'A Tragic Grace: The Catholic Church and Child Sexual Abuse,' 'Letters to My Brothers: Words of Hope and Challenge for Priests,' 'The Joy of Priesthood,' 'Born of the Eucharist: A Spirituality for Priests,' etc.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1990 book, "The media have brought this illness into the open; our legal system has made the penalty for ignoring it too high; and the ensuing public outcry gives testimony to the urgency of this issue. There IS a problem of child sexual abuse in our church, and we cannot ignore it." (Pg. 1-2)
He adds, "In this study, we have gathered professional people... a psychiatrist, several psychologists, a social worker, a bishop, a priest-civil lawyer, a member of the media, plus the personal witnesses of a priest-child molester and a victim of sexual abuse. Each professional is an expert in some aspect of child sexual abuse in the church." (Pg. 7) The book then includes twelve essays.
One writer says, "many priest child molesters confess to growing up in a repressive environment which subtly, or not so subtly, told them to 'stay away from girls' or that 'sexual desires concerning women are evil.' ... he believes it is wrong even to feel his sexual attraction to women. He becomes extremely threatened by his own heterosexual feelings. Ironically, no one ever told them it was wrong to have a sexual encounter with boys.
"Many priest sex offenders report not hearing the same negative message about sex with boys. When they reached puberty... it seemed okay to have an encounter with their male friends. And no one put a stop to it. They grew up with a belief that sex with boys is okay... this rationalization... suggests a distortion that was fostered from an early age: sex with women is the ultimate sin; therefore, sex with boys is a lesser sin." (Pg. 12-13)
Another writes, "For a pedophile, the emotional congruence factor is critical. The perpetrator is developmentally arrested and may be at the same psychosexual age as his victims. Thus, the pedophile emotionally and sexually identifies with the child who becomes his or her victim." (Pg. 32-33)
Another essay suggests, "Generally speaking, the results of treatment of priests and religious who have sexually abused children are excellent. At one facility, The Saint Luke Institute... Of those in active follow-up (most of them), there were no reported instances of relapse and no new allegations of child molestation. Even allowing for the possibility of some improper behavior that was not brought to light and the small number of relapses in subsequent years...
"Pessimism about the effectiveness of treatment is simply not warranted. But these numbers should not be misinterpreted. Some of the individuals, though sexually abstinent, are quite impaired. Sometimes... those in recovery have little to offer others once their basic ongoing recovery needs have been met. For the majority, however, the admission and treatment of their illness has led to a new level of psychological and spiritual health." (Pg. 63)
Still another essay observes, "Contrary to the myth of a man hiding in a dark alley or lurking behind the bushes in a trench coat, most children are sexually abused by someone they know and trust." (Pg. 69) Another suggests, "If a child learns that adults cannot be trusted, it is highly unlikely that he or she will learn to trust God." (Pg. 90)
One of the abusers wrote, "I saw a television show called '20.20.' It featured a young kid who had been sexually abused by his foster father... Later on, we found out that his foster father had himself been sexually abused when he was a kid. The reporter turned and said, 'Victims become victimizers.' That was what broke my consciousness into reality. It just his me. Victims become victimizers... I knew I was a victim and now I was victimizing. I began to stop playing the victim and to accept the responsibility for my actions..." (Pg. 109)
This is a very insightful collection, that will be of great interest to anyone studying this controversial issue.
Stephen Joseph Rossetti (born 1951) is a Catholic priest, author, educator, licensed psychologist, retreat master and expert on psychological and spiritual wellness issues for Catholic priests. He has written other books such as 'A Tragic Grace: The Catholic Church and Child Sexual Abuse,' 'Letters to My Brothers: Words of Hope and Challenge for Priests,' 'The Joy of Priesthood,' 'Born of the Eucharist: A Spirituality for Priests,' etc.
He wrote in the Introduction to this 1990 book, "The media have brought this illness into the open; our legal system has made the penalty for ignoring it too high; and the ensuing public outcry gives testimony to the urgency of this issue. There IS a problem of child sexual abuse in our church, and we cannot ignore it." (Pg. 1-2)
He adds, "In this study, we have gathered professional people... a psychiatrist, several psychologists, a social worker, a bishop, a priest-civil lawyer, a member of the media, plus the personal witnesses of a priest-child molester and a victim of sexual abuse. Each professional is an expert in some aspect of child sexual abuse in the church." (Pg. 7) The book then includes twelve essays.
One writer says, "many priest child molesters confess to growing up in a repressive environment which subtly, or not so subtly, told them to 'stay away from girls' or that 'sexual desires concerning women are evil.' ... he believes it is wrong even to feel his sexual attraction to women. He becomes extremely threatened by his own heterosexual feelings. Ironically, no one ever told them it was wrong to have a sexual encounter with boys.
"Many priest sex offenders report not hearing the same negative message about sex with boys. When they reached puberty... it seemed okay to have an encounter with their male friends. And no one put a stop to it. They grew up with a belief that sex with boys is okay... this rationalization... suggests a distortion that was fostered from an early age: sex with women is the ultimate sin; therefore, sex with boys is a lesser sin." (Pg. 12-13)
Another writes, "For a pedophile, the emotional congruence factor is critical. The perpetrator is developmentally arrested and may be at the same psychosexual age as his victims. Thus, the pedophile emotionally and sexually identifies with the child who becomes his or her victim." (Pg. 32-33)
Another essay suggests, "Generally speaking, the results of treatment of priests and religious who have sexually abused children are excellent. At one facility, The Saint Luke Institute... Of those in active follow-up (most of them), there were no reported instances of relapse and no new allegations of child molestation. Even allowing for the possibility of some improper behavior that was not brought to light and the small number of relapses in subsequent years...
"Pessimism about the effectiveness of treatment is simply not warranted. But these numbers should not be misinterpreted. Some of the individuals, though sexually abstinent, are quite impaired. Sometimes... those in recovery have little to offer others once their basic ongoing recovery needs have been met. For the majority, however, the admission and treatment of their illness has led to a new level of psychological and spiritual health." (Pg. 63)
Still another essay observes, "Contrary to the myth of a man hiding in a dark alley or lurking behind the bushes in a trench coat, most children are sexually abused by someone they know and trust." (Pg. 69) Another suggests, "If a child learns that adults cannot be trusted, it is highly unlikely that he or she will learn to trust God." (Pg. 90)
One of the abusers wrote, "I saw a television show called '20.20.' It featured a young kid who had been sexually abused by his foster father... Later on, we found out that his foster father had himself been sexually abused when he was a kid. The reporter turned and said, 'Victims become victimizers.' That was what broke my consciousness into reality. It just his me. Victims become victimizers... I knew I was a victim and now I was victimizing. I began to stop playing the victim and to accept the responsibility for my actions..." (Pg. 109)
This is a very insightful collection, that will be of great interest to anyone studying this controversial issue.
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