Preemptive Strike: Potential push-back on the Clergy Sex Abuse Study

A writer for the National Catholic Reporter took a swipe at the Ruth Institute’s study on Clergy Sex Abuse.

“McCarrick may have preyed on seminarians, but San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone preyed on some people’s homophobia in calling attention to a study — I use the term loosely — by Fr. Paul Sullins, who used to teach at Catholic University of America, that claimed to demonstrate a link between homosexuality in the clergy and clergy sex abuse. The study is bunk.

Previously, I had only heard Sullins distort Catholic social teaching, but apparently he is willing to cherry pick data to make a tendentious sociological case — and construct an easy scapegoat. Cordileone bought it.”

That’s it. That’s all he had to say.

We aren’t going to respond. As you can see for yourself, there is nothing here to which a reasonable response can be made.

So far, we have not heard any serious critique of the study. We are prepared to dialogue with anyone who has something reasonable to say. We are making the study, and the data on which it is based, available to anyone who wants it.

I predict one of two possible moves: either people who disagree with us will ignore the study and hope it goes away. Or, they will launch some personal attack on me or Fr. Sullins or both.

I’m saying this now, as a preemptive strike.

Please keep sharing the study. We have prepared a variety of ways for you to do that, long-version, short version, with lots of graphics, or plain-vanilla-printer-friendly.

This is the homepage for the study.

Here is where you can download the report and/or request the data on which the study is based.

Here is the Ruth Institute’s press release announcing the availability of the study.

Here is the Backgrounder on the study.

Here is a printer-friendly 2-page download of the Backgrounder.