New York state Catholic dioceses face an influx of lawsuits from victims of child sex abuse after the state’s Child Victims Act lifted the statute of limitations until August of next year. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse had already paid nearly $11 million in settlements by May. A list the diocese released in December identified 57 Syracuse priests with credible claims of sex abuse against them. The Rochester diocese declared bankruptcy last month.

A past of unrevealed sex abuses have exploded into a scandal of betrayal, misinformation and trauma. Trust between Catholic leaders and their audiences is shattered. And the sex abuse’s victims are not just those physically attacked — every Catholic seeking a safe space and a trustworthy religious mentor was betrayed by a group of predatory leaders.

The Catholic leader portrayed in media today is a faceless evil. Syracuse religious communities must put a face to the modern Catholic, one which the congregation can trust. Students must know who their leaders are and that those leaders understand consent. Local religious leaders along with campus religious entities such as Hendricks Chapel chaplains can help re-establish that trust by presenting religion-aware education about sex.

Programs like SU’s “Speak About It” are important, often serving as the first consent education a student receives. But they offer little to no information on sex in the context of religion. “Speak About It” offers the base for a safe and voluntary sex life in college, but a religiously-aware consent education could offer religious students the base for lifelong healthy romantic and intimate relationships.

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Religious students must be able to trust that their religious leaders fully grasp the concept of consent and the impact that reasoned sexual health education can have on religious communities in the context of scandals like the ones within the Catholic church.

“The issue is a violation of trust. Students need to feel comfortable,” said Margaret Thompson, an associate professor of history and political science at SU. “If something has happened to them, going to a religious figure and not wonder, ‘Is this person also guilty?’ or ‘Is this person in some way going to violate my trust?’”

Catholic sex abusers took advantage of others through power discrepancies and misinformation. An attacker can manipulate others far more easily by making their victims feel at fault and without resources. Chaplains teaching students about consent would empower congregations with information and resources and spark a long-term conversation on healthy understandings of relationships and sex.

It is the responsibility of religious officials to conduct themselves appropriately. But there’s work the religious community at large can do to rebuild trust among their congregations and those they interact with. A religious building is meant to be a safe space.

As statewide dioceses fight a battle against the press and a flood of sex abuse cases, their audiences fight for a truly safe space. Hendricks Chapel, the Syracuse diocese and other religious institutions can become that safe space for students and other believers by demonstrating that, above all, religious leaders are there to help.

Erin Sheffield is a freshman newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears bi-weekly. She can be reached at eesheffi@syr.edu. She can be followed on Twitter at @ErinESheffield.

Published on October 15, 2019 at 2:09 am