Abuse in France’s Catholic Church: Report Finds Victims Number More Than 200,000

October 16, 2021

An independent commission found that for the last 70 years, hundreds of thousands of children were abused by clergy in France, and the church was ill-equipped to respond to and prevent abuse.

“Notre Dame, Paris.” Gary Campbell-Hall. CC BY 2.0

The Independent Commission on Abuse in the Church (CIASE) was published after an extensive three-year investigation. The report found that over 200,000 minors were abused by clergy members of the Catholic Church in France alone from 1950 to the present day. Furthermore, the commission estimated that, including laypersons who were employed by the church, such as staff in Catholic schools, the number of victims rose to 330,000 over the years.

The report also found that while family or friends in France perpetrated the highest rate of sexual violence against minors, the Catholic Church is the second environment with the highest prevalence of sexual violence. The report estimates that the number of perpetrators ranges from 2900 to 3200. While this number may seem low for the number of victims, the commission notes that “scientific research shows that a sexual predator can effectively assault a great number of victims, especially predators of male children- as is overwhelming the case in the Catholic Church.” The Vatican released a statement that the Pope learned of the report’s staggering findings with “sorrow.” Pope Francis stated, “I would like to express to the victims my sadness… my sorrow for the trauma that they have suffered. And also my shame” in response to the report’s findings.

The report found that the Catholic Church did little to prevent the abuse over the last 70 years, stating, “The Catholic Church’s attitude has evolved over time but it has remained too focused on the protection of the institution, for a long time with no regard to the victims.” Furthermore, the commission found that from 1950 to 1970, the church was focused on avoiding scandal and often saved aggressors by silencing victims. The report found that while the institution did not accept the violence, it was too focused on preserving the institution and did not know how to prevent or address the abuse. The commission urges the Church to not just move on from past abuse, stating: “ It is not enough for the Church to claim awareness, albeit too late in the day.” CIASE also said that the church needed to recognize the abuse, and take responsibility and begin a process of compensation.

The report also addresses canon law, finding that victims have “no place” in the law that was unprepared to deal with sexual violence. The report also cited deviations in catholicism where priests are almost elevated to saint status. The over-emphasization of obedience and purity could lead to environments that perpetuate sexual violence.

The CIASE report is not the first of its kind, but change within the Church seems to be slow. The head of the inquiry, Jean-Marc Sauvé, told reporters that until the 2000s’ the church had shown “deep, total and even cruel indifference" towards the victims of sexual abuse.

Dana is a recent graduate from Tufts University with a degree in English. While at Tufts she enjoyed working on a campus literary magazine and reading as much as possible. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she loves to explore and learn new things.

Stirring Up the Stronghold: Philippines Divided as Pope Francis Supports Same-Sex Civil Unions

October 26, 2020

With Pope Francis’ recent comments in support of same-sex civil unions, many have protested the remarks. However, the Catholic stronghold of the Philippines has particularly mixed reactions.

President Rodrigo Duterte. Prachatai. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Locals and officials in the Philippines have become divided with the reveal of Pope Francis’ remarks siding with same-sex civil unions. It has been a long-established teaching of the Roman Catholic Church that same-sex civil unions are immoral, so many are skeptical that the pontiff had indeed made such comments. In fact, many bishops around the world have now responded with public remarks blaming the comments on miscontexualization. As with many other stories coming from the Vatican, the pope’s comments are wrapped in scandal, with many other officials saying that the remarks had been reframed for propaganda purposes.

The pontiff’s remarks are sourced from a 2019 interview with the Mexican broadcaster Televisa in which he states, “Homosexuals have a right to be a part of the family. They’re children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or made miserable because of it.” Homosexual acts in the Philippines are currently permitted, but same-sex marriage remains illegal.

The Philippines, the world’s third most Catholic country with around 81% of its residents identifying with the religion, now stirs with controversy at the pope’s statement. The bishop of Sorsogon, Arturo Bastes, reacted with serious hesitancy toward the ethicality of the pope’s comments. Other bishops have withheld rash responses and instead have chosen to wait for a more formal declaration from the pontiff. For now, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines remains tight-lipped as well.

While some officials have reacted with great disturbance, LGBTQ+ residents and organizations have celebrated the pontiff’s comments as an incredible breakthrough. Bahaghari, one of the Philippines’ LGBTQ+ groups, expressed jubilation that the comments may very well be the first step toward viable change. It hopes that the pontiff’s remarks will ease the minds of legislators whose traditional beliefs have squashed attempts at passing pro-LGBTQ+ legislation. Many legislators have held tightly to conservative views in fear of the iron grip that church leaders have on the heavily Catholic country, but all of this now has the potential to shift. The pope’s disapproval of same-sex marriage has long been a pillar of conservative legislators’ reasons for rejecting the legislation, but some Filipinos hold hope that the loss of this argument will be enough to tip the scales. President Rodrigo Duterte himself has been a proponent of same-sex civil unions, and in recent years has publicly expressed support for laws legalizing same-sex marriage.

Not much can be said at the moment about which steps the nation will take going forward, but what can be expected is skyrocketing tension in the long-standing debate. Regardless, some young residents have seen the pope’s remarks as a call to action, and may very well turn the nation’s views on their head.

Ella Nguyen

is an undergraduate student at Vassar College pursuing a degree in Hispanic Studies. She wants to assist in the field of immigration law and hopes to utilize Spanish in her future projects. In her free time she enjoys cooking, writing poetry, and learning about cosmetics.

VIDEO: Indonesia's Mentawai Tribe

September 8, 2020

To give Joshua Cowan’s film even deeper meaning, it’s important to understand context. Mentawai is an archipelago found off the west coast of Sumatra (Indonesia) consisting of approximately 70 islands and islets. The history of the people is often debated, but as early as 1954, under Indonesia’s goal of national unity and cultural adaptation, the National Government began introducing civilization programs designed to integrate the tribal groups into the social and cultural mainstream of the country. This, for native Mentawai, meant the eradication of Arat Sabulungan — the animist belief system that links the supernatural powers of ancestral spirits to the ecology of the rainforest — ; the forced surrender, burning and destruction of possessions used to facilitate cultural or ritual behavior; and their Sikerei (shamans) being disrobed, beaten, and forced into slave labor and imprisonment.

Under Pancasila — the official, foundational philosophical theory of Indonesia — the Indonesian state should be based on the Five Principles: Indonesian nationalism; Internationalism, or Humanism; Consent, or Democracy; Social prosperity; and Belief in One God. Based on the Indonesian notion ‘belief in one God’, there are officially only five religions recognized: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Which, for the Mentawai Islands, resulted in an immediate influx of missionaries and an increase in violence and pressure on the people to adopt change. In the end many chose Christianity due to its flexible views on the possession and consumption of pigs, which play an integral role in Mentawai history and culture.

By the late 1980’s loggers had devastated the forests of Sipora, North and South Pagai. In 1980, WWF (World Wildlife Fund) published a report entitled ‘Saving Siberut’ which, along with the support of other organizations – primarily UNESCO and Survival International – and other additional international interest, helped persuade the Indonesian government to cancel logging concessions and declare the forests of Siberut a biosphere reserve. With this, the people in the Mentawai found that they were once again free to practice their native cultural activities – at least in areas away from the villages.

However, by this point, and as it remains today, the number of Indigenous people still actively practicing the cultural customs, rituals and ceremonies of Arat Sabulungan had already been limited to a very small population of clans primarily located around the Sarereiket and Sakuddei regions in the south of Siberut Island.

Raeann is an avid traveler, digital storyteller and guide writer. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Comm & Media Studies from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication. Passionate about a/effective journalism and cultural exchange, she is an advocate of international solidarity and people's liberation. As the founder of ROAM + WRITE and EIC of Monarch Magazine, Raeann hopes to reshape the culture of travel and hospitality to be ethically sound and sustainable.

Gender Discrimination Is Nothing New in Poland

August 7, 2020

Many view the reelection of Polish President Andrzej Duda in July as a further setback for women’s and LGBTQ+ rights in the country.

Andrzej Duda, the president of Poland, meets with a leader of the Roman Catholic Church. EpiskopatNews. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

For much of the 20th century, Poland was under the influence of foreign countries, particularly the Soviet Union. This caused communism and its ideologies of censorship and control to direct the Poles’ daily lives. During that time, the Roman Catholic Church provided a safe space for many people to feel freedom. Thus, post-communist Poland has continued to embrace Catholicism, with 93% of Poles practicing it despite the country having no official religion.

A result of the Catholic Church’s widespread influence has been restrictive measures toward women and those in Poland’s LGBTQ+ community. One of the first major impacts seen was the passage of an “anti-abortion law” in 1988. While this law banned most instances of the procedure, many doctors and hospitals did not fully enforce it at the time.

Abortion is still a topic of debate in Polish political campaigns. In the Catholic Church’s eyes, abortion is seen as murder and a direct violation of God’s will. Thus, any practice which may go against God’s “original intent” is normally frowned upon.

Due to the Catholic Church’s continued influence in Poland, most legislation passed today still follows the Church’s guidance. This includes on LGBTQ+ rights, where as of June nearly 100 locations had declared themselves to be “LGBT-free zones.”. Yet the fight for LGBTQ+ rights has continued, especially since the election of the staunchly-conservative Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

LGBTQ+ activists in Poland. Sakuto. CC BY-NC 2.0.

Additionally, the reelection campaign of President Andrzej Duda painted a narrative that LGBTQ+ individuals are a threat to society. As a part of the right-wing Law and Justice Party, his ideologies align with protecting Poland’s “traditional values.” Duda even went so far as to call the LGBTQ+ rights movement “an ideology worse than communism.” He also tapped into anti-Semitism that has been prevalent since World War II by saying that Jewish interests would become more important than Polish ones if his opponent Rafal Trzaskowski had won.

Two weeks after Duda’s victory in the July presidential election, it was announced that Poland was in the process of withdrawing from a European domestic violence treaty known as the Istanbul Convention. This treaty protected women from any forms of violence and placed responsibility on European states to take appropriate measures to protect women and punish attackers.

As justification for the government's decision, Poland denounced the treaty as an infringement on parents’ rights since it required children to be taught about nontraditional gender roles. Duda claimed that the treaty “contains elements of an ideological nature, which we consider harmful.” Many women have argued that withdrawing from the treaty only legalizes domestic violence in Poland.