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Informes sobre la violación de decenas de monjas por sacerdotes católicos en 23 países. La revista norteamericana National Catholic Reporter ha publicado los informes realizados por las religiosas María O'Donohue y Maura McDonald en los que denuncian violaciones, abortos y todo tipo de abusos sexuales cometidos por sacerdotes católicos. En esta página se reproduce el informe original de la revista NCR, un artículo de prensa, la nota de prensa elaborada por el autor de este web, el importante informe elaborado por la hermana Fangman mucho antes de que estallara este escándalo, y la Resolución aprobada por el Parlamento Europeo a propósito de estos delitos del clero católico.
El País, miércoles 21 de marzo de 2001 El Vaticano reconoce que cientos de monjas han sido violadas por misioneros (*) (*) Nota del webmaster: no fueron "misioneros" los violadores sino sacerdores diocesanos, aunque también es cierto que los misioneros conocieron los hechos y los encubrieron). El Vaticano admite el problema, comprobado en 23 países, y anuncia que se está afrontando LOLA GALÁN | Roma Centenares de monjas en 23 países, la mayoría en África, han denunciado haber sufrido abusos sexuales, a veces sistemáticos, por parte de sacerdotes y misioneros. Los datos figuran en varios informes de la religiosa Maria O'Donohue y en otro de Maura McDonald, publicados por la revista norteamericana National Catholic Reporter. El portavoz vaticano, Joaquín Navarro Valls, reconoció ayer que el problema es 'conocido' y que 'se está afrontando', pero lo circunscribió a 'un área geográfica limitada' refiriéndose a África, aunque sin mencionar el continente. Los abusos sexuales dentro de las congregaciones religiosas comenzaron a denunciarse en los años noventa. El 18 de febrero de 1995 la religiosa Maura O'Donohue, coordinadora del programa sobre el sida de Caritas Internacional y del Cafod (Fondo Católico de Ayuda al Desarrollo), presentó un informe sobrecogedor al presidente de los Institutos de Vida Consagrada y Sociedades de Vida Apostólica, el cardenal español Eduardo Martínez Somalo. El cardenal, sorprendido por las dimensiones del problema, encargó investigar la situación a un grupo de trabajo presidido por O' Donohue. La nueva investigación dibujó un panorama aún más inquietante. La lista de abusos es variada y descorazonadora: el informe incluye casos de novicias violadas por los sacerdotes a quienes tienen que solicitar los certificados oportunos, habla de médicos de hospitales católicos que se ven asediados por sacerdotes que les llevan 'a monjas y otras jóvenes para abortar'. O'Donohue cita un caso extremo, el de 'un sacerdote que obliga a abortar a una monja, ella muere y él oficia la misa de difuntos' por la joven fallecida. Peso de las culturas Aunque el informe, recogido ayer por el diario italiano La Repubblica, recoge denuncias de abusos en 23 países, de Burundi a Filipinas, de India a Colombia, de Irlanda a Italia y a EE UU, lo cierto es que el grueso de los casos se produce en África. Los progresos de la Iglesia en ese continente, donde el aumento de las vocaciones y el incremento de fieles son incesantes, podrían ser tan grandes como superficiales a tenor de estos datos que reflejan el peso enorme de las culturas propias, incluso en los hombres y mujeres que han optado por la vida religiosa. Sin especificar el nombre del país, el informe reconoce que determinadas culturas representan un serio inconveniente para el mantenimiento de los principios de la vida religiosa. En el continente africano, explica el texto, es 'imposible para una mujer rechazar a un hombre, sobre todo si es anciano y en especial si es un sacerdote', y la cultura está lejos de favorecer el celibato. Son situaciones agravadas por la extensión del sida, como viene a demostrar otro informe redactado por la misma religiosa y entregado a las autoridades eclesiásticas en 1994. O'Donohue comprobó que el fenómeno del sida había convertido a las religiosas en un grupo 'seguro' desde el punto de vista sanitario, lo que aumentaba el interés de los sacerdotes por ellas. A este respecto se cita el caso de la superiora de un convento que fue contactada por unos sacerdotes interesados en mantener relaciones sexuales seguras con las religiosas. En el informe de O'Donohue se habla de religiosos que piden a las monjas que recurran a la píldora y, en concreto, se alude a una comunidad religiosa femenina en la que la superiora solicitó la intervención del obispo tras comprobar que una serie de sacerdotes de la diócesis habían dejado embarazadas a 29 monjas. La reacción del obispo fue fulminante: la superiora 'fue suspendida' y sustituida por otra religiosa. Estos datos han sido avalados por otro informe presentado en 1998 por Marie McDonald, superiora de las Hermanas Misioneras de Nuestra Señora de África, en el que se pasa revista a las diferentes estrategias de acoso. Unas veces son sacerdotes que reclaman una especie de contraprestación sexual a cambio de la confesión. Otras el abuso se produce a partir de 'una dependencia financiera de las monjas de sacerdotes que pueden pedir a cambio favores sexuales'. McDonald está convencida de que hay que actuar con rapidez para atajar un problema que aumenta, y no parece satisfecha de la línea de actuación más bien tímida iniciada por el Vaticano. Una línea que Navarro Valls resumió ayer así: 'La Santa Sede está tratando la cuestión en colaboración con los obispos, con la Unión Superior de Generales y con la Unión Internacional de Superiores generales. Se trabaja en la doble vertiente de la formación de las personas y de la solución de cada caso particular'. En su comunicado el portavoz vaticano recuerda, no obstante: 'Unas cuantas situaciones negativas no pueden hacer olvidar la fidelidad con frecuencia heroica de la gran mayoría de los religiosos, religiosas y sacerdotes'. Dos semanas de retiro por violar a la novicia EL PAÍS | Madrid Algunas de las denuncias del informe de O'Donohue, publicadas en la revista National Catholic Reporter, son: - En ciertos niveles, las candidatas a la vida religiosa tienen que prestar favores sexuales a los sacerdotes para acceder a los certificados necesarios y/o recomendaciones para trabajar en una diócesis. - En algunos países, las monjas tienen que afrontar las dificultades que implica el verse obligadas a abandonar la congregación si se quedan embarazadas; en cambio, el sacerdote implicado puede seguir desempeñando su ministerio. Más allá de la rectitud, se plantea una cuestión de justicia social, ya que la monja tiene entonces que cuidar al niño como madre soltera, a menudo estigmatizada y en circunstancias socioeconómicas de suma pobreza. Como han perdido su estatus en la cultura local, algunas se ven forzadas a convertirse en la segunda o tercera esposa en una familia. La alternativa es prostituirse. - Algunos sacerdotes engañaban a las monjas haciéndolas creer que la píldora anticonceptiva evita el contagio del sida. - En varios países, los miembros de los consejos de las parroquias están poniendo en entredicho a sus pastores por sus relaciones sexuales con mujeres y muchachas. Algunas de ellas son esposas de feligreses que están furiosos por la situación, pero se hallan desconcertados a la hora de denunciar al sacerdote. Una parroquia llegó a ser atacada por feligreses con armas de fuego, muy exaltados por el abuso de poder y las traiciones de los sacerdotes. - Se sabe que algunos curas se relacionan con varias mujeres y tienen hijos de más de una de ellas. Muchos testimonios citados por el informe manifiestan que los feligreses esperan la oportunidad de presentarse voluntarios para hablar en una homilía dialogada y denunciar públicamente a algunos curas por su doble rasero entre lo que predican y lo que hacen. - Una mujer recién convertida del islam al cristianismo fue aceptada como novicia en una congregación local. Cuando fue a solicitar al párroco los certificados correspondientes, éste la violó como requisito previo. Como ella había sido repudiada por su familia por abandonar el islam, no podía volver a casa, por lo que se unió a la congregación. Poco después supo que estaba embarazada. No le quedó más remedio que huir y pasó diez días deambulando por la selva. Por fin decidió ir a ver al obispo, que llamó al cura. Éste aceptó la acusación y fue castigado con un retiro de dos semanas. - Desde los años ochenta, en varios países, las monjas se niegan a viajar solas en coche en compañía de un sacerdote por miedo a sufrir abusos. National Catholic Reporter, March 16, 2001 AIDS exacerbates sexual exploitation of nuns, reports allege By JOHN L. ALLEN JR. and PAMELA SCHAEFFER NCR Staff, Rome and Kansas City, Mo. Several reports written by senior members of women's religious orders and by an American priest assert that sexual abuse of nuns by priests, including rape, is a serious problem, especially in Africa and other parts of the developing world. The reports allege that some Catholic clergy exploit their financial and spiritual authority to gain sexual favors from religious women, many of whom, in developing countries, are culturally conditioned to be subservient to men. The reports obtained by NCR -- some recent, some in circulation at least seven years -- say priests at times demand sex in exchange for favors, such as permission or certification to work in a given diocese. The reports, five in all, indicate that in Africa particularly, a continent ravaged by HIV and AIDS, young nuns are sometimes seen as safe targets of sexual activity. In a few extreme instances, according to the documentation, priests have impregnated nuns and then encouraged them to have abortions. In some cases, according to one of the reports, nuns, through naiveté or social conditioning to obey authority figures, may readily comply with sexual demands. Although the problem has not been aired in public, the reports have been discussed in councils of religious women and men and in the Vatican. In November 1998, a fourpage paper titled "The Problem of the Sexual Abuse of African Religious in Africa and Rome" was presented by Missionaries of Our Lady of Africa Sr. Marie McDonald, the report's author, to the Council of 16, a group that meets three times a year. The council is made up of delegates from three bodies: the Union of Superiors General, an association of men's religious communities based in Rome, the International Union of Superiors General, a comparable group for women, and the Con-gregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, the Vatican office that oversees religious life. Last September, Benedictine Sr. Esther Fangman, a psychological counselor and president of the Federation of St. Scholastica, raised the issue in an address at a Rome congress of 250 Benedictine abbots. The federation is an organization of 22 monasteries in the United States and two in Mexico. Five years earlier, on Feb. 18, 1995, Cardinal Eduardo Martínez, prefect of the Vatican congregation for religious life, along with members of his staff, were briefed on the problem by Medical Missionary of Mary Sr. Maura O'Donohue, a physician. O'Donohue is responsible for a 1994 report that constitutes one of the more comprehensive accounts. At the time of its writing, she had spent six years as AIDS coordina-tor for the Catholic Fund for Overseas Development based in London. Though statistics related to sexual abuse of religious women are unavailable, most religious leaders interviewed by NCR say the frequency and consistency of the reports of sexual abuse point to a problem that needs to be addressed. "I don't believe these are simply exceptional cases," Benedictine Fr. Nokter Wolf, abbot primate of the Benedictine order, told NCR. "I think the abuse described is happening. How much it happens, what the numbers are, I have no way of knowing. But it is a serious matter, and we need to discuss it." Wolf has made several trips to Africa to visit Benedictine institutions and is in contact with members of the order there. In her reports, O'Donohue links the sexual abuse to the prevalence of AIDS in Africa and concerns about contracting the disease. "Sadly, the sisters also report that priests have sexually exploited them because they too had come to fear contamination with HIV by sexual contact with prostitutes and other 'at risk' women," she wrote in 1994. O'Donohue declined requests for interviews with NCR. In some cultures, O'Donohue wrote, men who traditionally would have sought out prostitutes instead are turning to "secondary school girls, who, because of their younger age, were considered 'safe' from HIV." Similarly, religious sisters "constitute another group which has been identified as 'safe' targets for sexual activity," O'Donohue wrote. "For example," O'Donohue wrote, "a superior of a community of sisters in one country was approached by priests requesting that sisters would be made available to them for sexual favors. When the superior refused, the priests explained that they would otherwise be obliged to go to the village to find women, and might thus get AIDS." O'Donohue wrote that at first she reacted with "shock and disbelief" at the "magnitude" of the problem she was encountering through her contacts with "a great number of sisters during the course of my visits" in a number of countries. Different view of celibacy "The AIDS pandemic has drawn attention to issues which may not previously have been considered significant," she wrote. "The enormous challenges which AIDS poses for members of religious orders and the clergy is only now becoming evident." In a report on her 1995 meeting with Cardinal Martínez in the Vatican, O'Donohue noted that celibacy may have different meanings in different cultures. For instance, she wrote in her report, a vicar general in one African diocese had talked "quite openly" about the view of celibacy in Africa, saying that "celibacy in the African context means a priest does not get married but does not mean he does not have children." Of the world's 1 billion Catholics, 116.6 million -- about 12 percent -- live in Africa. According to the 2001 Catholic Almanac, 561 are bishops and archbishops, 26,026 are priests and 51,304 are nuns. In addition to such general overviews, Martínez's office has also received documentation on specific cases. In one such incident, dating from 1988 in Malawi and cited in O'Donohue's 1994 report, the leadership team of a diocesan women's congregation was dismissed by the local bishop after it complained that 29 sisters had been impregnated by diocesan priests. Western missionaries helped the leadership team compile a dossier that was eventually submitted to Rome. One of those missionaries, a veteran of more than two decades in Africa, said the Malawi case was complex and the issue of sexual liaisons was not the only factor in-volved. She described the incident in a not-for-attribution interview with NCR. The missionary said the leadership team had adopted rules preventing sisters from spending the night in a rectory, banning priests from staying overnight in convents and prohibiting sisters from being alone with priests. The rules were intended to reduce the possibility of sexual contact. Several sources told NCR that religious communities as well as church officials have taken steps to correct the problem, though they were reluctant to cite specific examples. Others say the climate of secrecy that still surrounds the issue indicates more needs to be done. The secrecy is due in part to efforts by religious orders to work within the system to address the problems and in part to the cultural context in which they occur. In sub-Saharan Africa, for instance, where the problems are reportedly the most severe, sexual behavior and AIDS are rarely discussed openly. Among many people in that region of Central and Southern Africa, sexual topics are virtually taboo, according to many who have worked there. Expressing frustration at unsuccessful efforts to get church officials to address the problem, O'Donohue wrote in 1994, "Groups of sisters from local congregations have made passionate appeals for help to members of international congregations and ex-plain that, when they themselves try to make representations to church authorities about harassment by priests, they simply 'are not heard.' " The Vatican press office did not respond to NCR requests for comment on this story. O'Donohue wrote that, although she was aware of incidents in some 23 countries, including the United States, on five continents, the majority happened in Africa. Ironically, given the reticence of many Africans to talk about sex, casual sex is common in parts of Africa, and sexual abstinence is rare. It's a culture in which AIDS thrives. Experts say the view derives from a deeply rooted cultural association between male-ness and progeny -- a view that makes the church's insistence on celibacy difficult not only in practice but also in concept for some African priests. AIDS rampant in Africa Some 25.3 million of the world's 36.1 million HIV-positive persons live in sub-Saharan Africa. Since the epidemic began in the late 1970s, 17 million Africans have died of AIDS, according to the World Health Organization. Of the 5.3 million new cases of HIV infection in 2000, 3.8 million occurred in Africa. According to a graphic article on AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa in the Feb. 12 issue of Time magazine, "Casual sex of every kind is commonplace. Everywhere there's pre-marital sex, sex as recreation. Obligatory sex and its abusive counterpart, coercive sex. Transactional sex: sex as a gift, sugar-daddy sex. Extramarital sex, second families, multiple partners." Further, Time reported, women, taught from birth to obey men, feel powerless to pro-tect themselves from men's sexual desires. Even accounting for promiscuity -- which in fact, some experts have argued, is no less a problem in Western nations -- the religious men and women raising the issue of sex-ual exploitation of religious women say the situations they report on are clearly intoler-able and, in some cases, approach the unspeakable. In one instance, according to O'Donohue, a priest took a nun for an abortion, and she died during the procedure. He later officiated at her requiem Mass. Harassment common In McDonald's report, she states that "sexual harassment and even rape of sisters by priests and bishops is allegedly common," and that "sometimes when a sister becomes pregnant, the priest insists that she have an abortion." She said her report referred mainly to Africa and to African sisters, priests and bishops -- not because the problem is exclusively an African one, but because the group preparing the report drew "mainly on their own experience in Africa and the knowledge they have obtained from the members of their own congregations or from other congregations -- especially diocesan congregations in Africa." "We know that the problem exists elsewhere too," she wrote. "It is precisely because of our love for the church and for Africa that we feel so distressed about the problem," McDonald wrote. McDonald's was the report presented in 1998 to the Council of 16. She declined to be interviewed by NCR. When a sister becomes pregnant, McDonald wrote, she is usually punished by dis-missal from the congregation, while the priest is "often only moved to another parish -- or sent for studies." In her report, McDonald wrote that priests sometimes exploit the financial dependency of young sisters or take advantage of spiritual direction and the sacrament of reconciliation to extort sexual favors. McDonald cites eight factors she believes give rise to the problem: The fact that celibacy and/or chastity are not values in some countries. The inferior position of women in society and the church. In some circumstances "a sister … has been educated to regard herself as an inferior, to be subservient and to obey." "It is understandable then, that a sister finds it impossible to refuse a cleric who asks for sexual favours. These men are seen as 'authority figures' who must be obeyed." "Moreover, they are usually more highly educated and they have received a much more advanced theological formation than the sisters. They may use false theological arguments to justify their requests and behaviour. The sisters are easily impressed by these arguments. One of these goes as follows: " 'We are both consecrated celibates. That means that we have promised not to marry. However, we can have sex together without breaking our vows.' " The AIDS pandemic, which means sisters are more likely to be seen as "safe." Financial dependence created by low stipends for sisters laboring in their home countries or inadequate support for sisters sent abroad for studies. The problem of sexual abuse in Africa is most common, according to many observers, among members of di-ocesan religious congregations with little money and no network of international support. A poor understanding of consecrated life, both by the sisters and also by bishops, priests, and lay people. Recruitment of candidates by congregations that lack adequate knowledge of the culture. Sisters sent abroad to Rome and other countries for studies are often "too young and/or immature," lack language skills, preparation and other kinds of support, and "frequently turn to seminarians and priests for help," creating the potential for exploitation. "I do not wish to imply that only priests and bishops are to blame and that the sisters are simply their victims," McDonald wrote. "No, sisters can sometimes be only too willing and can also be naïve." Silence. "Perhaps another contributing factor is the 'conspiracy of silence' surrounding this issue," McDonald wrote. "Only if we can look at it honestly will we be able to find solutions." The American priest who gave a similar account of sexual abuse of women religious is Fr. Robert J. Vitillo, then of Caritas and now executive director of the U.S. bishops' Campaign for Human Development. In March 1994, a month after O'Donohue wrote her report, Vitillo spoke about the problem to a theological study group at Boston Col-lege. Vitillo has extensive knowledge of Africa based on regular visits for his work. His talk, which focused on several moral and ethical issues related to AIDS, was titled, "Theological Challenges Posed by the Global Pandemic of HIV/AIDS." 'Necessary to mention' Vitillo, a priest of the Paterson, N.J., diocese, declined requests from NCR for an interview on the content of his talk. He told the gathering at Boston College that nuns had been targeted by men, particularly clergy, who may have previously frequented prostitutes. "The last ethical issue which I find especially delicate but necessary to mention," he said, "involves the need to denounce sexual abuse which has arisen as a specific result of HIV/AIDS. In many parts of the world, men have decreased their reliance on commercial sex workers because of their fear of contracting HIV. … As a result of this widespread fear, many men (and some women) have turned to young (and therefore presumably uninfected) girls (and boys) for sexual favors. Religious women have also been targeted by such men, and especially by clergy who may have previously frequented prostitutes. I myself have heard the tragic stories of religious women who were forced to have sex with the local priest or with a spiritual counselor who insisted that this activity was 'good' for the both of them. "Frequently, attempts to raise these issues with local and international church authorities have met with deaf ears," said Vitillo. "In North America and in some parts of Europe, our church is already reeling under the pedophilia scandals. How long will it take for this same institutional church to become sensitive to these new abuse issues which are resulting from the pandemic?" The specific circumstances outlined in the O'Donohue report are as follows: In some instances, candidates to religious life had to provide sexual favors to priests in order to acquire the necessary certificates and/or recommendations to work in a diocese. In several countries, sisters are troubled by policies that require them to leave the congregation if they become pregnant, while the priest involved is able to continue his min-istry. Beyond fairness is the question of social justice, since the sister is left to raise the child as a single parent, "often with a great deal of stigmatization and frequently in very poor socioeconomic circumstances. I was given examples in several countries where such women were forced into becoming a second or third wife in a family because of lost status in the local culture. The alternative, as a matter of survival, is to go 'on the streets' as prostitutes" and thereby "expose themselves to the risk of HIV, if not already infected." "Superior generals I have met were extremely concerned about the harassment sisters were experiencing from priests in some areas. One superior of a diocesan congregation, where several sisters became pregnant by priests, has been at a complete loss to find an appropriate solution. Another diocesan congregation has had to dismiss over 20 sisters because of pregnancy, again in many cases by priests. "Some priests are recommending that sisters take a contraceptive, misleading them that 'the pill' will prevent transmission of HIV. Others have actually encouraged abortion for sisters with whom they have been involved. Some Catholic medical professionals employed in Catholic hospitals have reported pressure being exerted on them by priests to procure abortions in those hospitals for religious sisters. "In a number of countries, members of parish councils and of small Christian communi-ties are challenging their pastors because of their relationships with women and young girls generally. Some of these women are wives of the parishioners. In such circumstances, husbands are angry about what is happening, but are embarrassed to challenge their parish priest. Some priests are known to have relations with several women, and also to have children from more than one liaison. Laypeople spoke with me about the concerns in this context stating that they are waiting for the day when they will have dialogue homilies. This, they volunteered, will afford them an opportunity to challenge certain priests on the sincerity of their preaching and their apparent double standards. In one country visited, I was informed that the presbytery in a particular parish was at-tacked by parishioners armed with guns because they were angry with the priests because of their abuse of power and the betrayal of trust which their actions and lifestyles reflected. "In another country a recent convert from Islam (one of two daughters who became Christians) was accepted as a candidate to a local religious congregation. When she went to her parish priest for the required certificates, she was subjected to rape by the priest before being given the certificates. Having been disowned by her family because of becoming a Christian, she did not feel free to return home. She joined the congrega-tion and soon afterwards found she was pregnant. To her mind, the only option for her was to leave the congregation, without giving the reason. She spent 10 days roaming the forest, agonizing over what to do. Then she decided to go and talk to the bishop, who called in the priest. The priest accepted the accusation as true and was told by the bishop to go on a two-week retreat. "Since the 1980s in a number of countries sisters are refusing to travel alone with a priest in a car because of fear of harassment or even rape. Priests have also on occasion abused their position in their role as pastors and spiritual directors and utilized their spiritual authority to gain sexual favors from sisters. In one country, women supe-riors have had to request the bishop or men superiors to remove chaplains, spiritual di-rectors or retreat directors after they abused sisters." Those most directly affected are the women abused, wrote O'Donohue. The effects extend, however, to the wider community and include disillusionment and cynicism. The abused and others in the community "find the foundation of their faith is suddenly shattered." Many whose faith has been shattered are from families that look unfavorably on religious vocations and who "question why celibacy should be so strongly proclaimed by the same people who are seemingly involved in sexually exploiting others. This is seen as hypocrisy or at least as promoting double standards," O'Donohue wrote. Some observers say that in the wake of such reports, steps have been taken to address the problem. New guidelines Wolf, the Benedictine leader in Rome, said, "Several monasteries already have guidelines in case a monk is accused of sexual misconduct, taking care of the individuals concerned, the victim included. I pushed this question in our congregation. We need sincerity and justice." A Vatican official told NCR that "there are initiatives at multiple levels" to raise awareness about the potential for sexual abuse in religious life. The official cited efforts within conferences of religious superiors, within bishops' conferences, and within particular communities and dioceses. Most of these, the official said, were steps the Vatican is "aware of" and "supporting" rather than organizing or initiating. The Vatican official was willing to speak anonymously about the problem with NCR. The official noted two signs that the culture in the church is changing. In specific cases, the official said, the response from church leaders is more aggressive and swift; and in general, there is a climate within religious life that these things have to be discussed. "Talking about it is the first step towards a solution," the official said. Church officials have not always, however, been open to such exchanges. McDonald wrote in her 1998 report that in March of that year she had spoken to the standing committee of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, the consortium of African bishops' conferences, on the problem of sexual abuse of sisters. "Since most of what I gave was based on reports coming from diocesan congregations and Conferences of Major Superiors in Africa, I felt very convinced of the authenticity of what I was saying," McDonald wrote. Yet, "the bishops present felt that it was disloyal of the sisters to have sent such reports outside their dioceses," McDonald wrote. "They said that the sisters in question should go to their diocesan bishop with these problems." "Of course," she wrote, "this would be the ideal. However, the sisters claim that they have done so time and time again. Sometimes they are not well received. In some in-stances they are blamed for what has happened. Even when they are listened to sym-pathetically, nothing much seems to be done." Worth talking about Whatever positive steps have been taken, the problem remains a live concern for religious women. In an interview at her home in Kansas City, Mo., Fangman, the nun who raised the issue last September at a gathering of Benedictine abbots in Rome, told NCR that she had heard the stories about sisters being sexually abused by priests during informal discussions at meetings of abbesses and prioresses worldwide. "The sisters who brought it up were deeply hurt by it and found it very painful -- and very painful to talk about," she said. Because of the pain that she and others were hearing, "we decided that it was worth also beginning to talk about in a more open way, and we had the opportunity at our regular meeting with the Congress of Abbots," she said. Fangman said her report to the Benedictine abbots was based on the conversations with sisters and on the material in O'Donohue's reports. Fangman's talk was published in a recent issue of the Alliance for International Monasticism Bulletin, a mission magazine of the order. O'Donohue's report was prepared in a similar spirit: in hope of promoting change. She wrote in her report that she had prepared it "after much profound reflection and with a deep sense of urgency since the subjects involved touch the very core of the church's mission and ministry." The information on abuse of nuns by priests "comes from missionaries (men and women); from priests, doctors and other members of our loyal ecclesial family," she wrote. "I have been assured that case records exist for several of the incidents" de-scribed in the report, she said, "and that the information is not just based on hearsay." The 23 countries listed in her report are: Botswana, Burundi, Brazil, Colombia, Ghana, India, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Tonga, Uganda, United States, Zambia, Zaire, Zimbabwe. Her hope, she wrote, is that the report "will consequently motivate appropriate action especially on the part of those in positions of church leadership and those responsible for formation." John Allen's e-mail address is jallen@natcath.org. Pamela Schaeffer's e-mail address is pschaeffer@natcath.org Documents related to the above story will be available on the NCR Web site at www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/documents/index.htm National Catholic Reporter, March 16, 2001 This week's cover story is a jarring account of misused power and abuse that has re-mained largely hidden amid layers of cultural idiosyncrasies and church bureaucracy. The first hints of the story began circulating several years ago. In early 1999 we began to dig for more details related to the content of two reports that came our way, one from several sources. We were also seeking an assessment of the dimensions of the prob-lem and some indications of what was being done to address the issue. Then other reports came to our attention. We became aware that the topic was being discussed in many gatherings of religious women. It is deeply disturbing material. The people who gathered the primary data for the reports on which the story is based, respected members of religious communities, professionals responsible for the church's work in the wider world, did not intend to come to the press with it. Their in-tent, we believe, was to awaken religious communities to the abuse and to alert the Vatican, hoping that something would be done. We could find little evidence that anything was being done through formal church channels. In the reporting of this story, Managing Editor Pam Schaeffer and Rome Correspondent John L. Allen Jr. found that those who compiled the reports were reluctant to provide further details. Their reluctance is understandable. No one who has given a life of service to the church wants to be perceived as betraying the institution or speaking ill of it in public. Some are convinced that sensitive and embarrassing matters are best handled in pri-vate, through church channels. It is, finally, axiomatic that this papacy, with its ban on discussion of ordaining women, optional celibacy and married priests, is not conducive to discussion of even more difficult issues. I wrestled with this story for its implications beyond the church. We weren't eager to spotlight one more agony for Africa, a continent already besieged with war, poverty and epidemics. We're keenly aware that the scourge of AIDS in Africa could be diminished if Western nations mustered the will to help (see NCR, Nov. 5, 1999). It is an international scandal that so many Africans continue to die of AIDS without treatment readily available in other countries. Weighing injustices, one against the other, however, does no one justice. The wounds caused by sexual abuse won't heal if left alone, and indeed may never heal. They are, however, as much a part of the 21st century Catholic story as were all the golden moments of the Jubilee. The Jesuit theologian John Courtney Murray once wrote: "Through the rights of the people, the freedom of the press knows only one limitation, and that is the people's need to know. And I think within the church as within civil society, the need of the peo-ple to know is in principle unlimited." In this case, the wider church community needs to know of this tragedy in order to be-gin dealing with it. Women who have been victims must know they are not abandoned or ignored to protect the institution. It is also our hope that airing the reports will provide some safety for women religious who may be in vulnerable circumstances and that it will prevent further abuse. The Christian endeavor survived Peter's denial of Jesus. We all live in the tradition of that denial as much as in the tradition of the Resurrection. The alleged abuse and rape of young nuns in Africa is a modern denial. Failing to fulfill our role as journalists would only amplify the echo, through the ages, of Peter's line: "Woman, I do not know him." We do know him. Forgiveness and redemption are ours, but not before evil is named and confronted. Tom Roberts My email address is troberts@natcath.org National Catholic Reporter, March 16, 2001 Nota de prensa enviada por el autor de este site web: La reciente publicación, por parte de la revista norteamericana National Catholic Reporter, del contenido de varios informes realizados por las religiosas María O'Donohue y Maura McDonald, que denuncian la violación de cientos de monjas en 23 países, así como embarazos, abortos y un sin fin de tropelías sexuales, ha puesto de nuevo sobre la mesa la espinosa cuestión de la vida sexual del clero católico. La novedad, ahora, es que el Vaticano ha declarado conocer la existencia de estos delitos sexuales... aunque, tal como es norma de actuación de las autoridades eclesiásticas, no han hecho nada para poner fin a esa situación ni para castigar a los culpables a pesar de que fueron informados de los delitos hace más de 6 años. Desde los ámbitos católicos intenta quitarse importancia a estos hechos argumentando que "sólo" suceden en países africanos, por una cuestión estrictamente cultural (más abajo analizaremos esta cuestión), pero, lamentablemente, los abusos sexuales del clero católico son muy importantes en todo el mundo, incluidos los países más desarrollados, entre los que está España. Tal como ya saben la mayoría de los receptores de este e-mail, yo conozco bien la situación española, ya que realicé en 1995 el primer y único estudio riguroso sobre el comportamiento sexual de su clero. Trabajando con una base de datos extraordinariamente amplia (ver la metodología de la investigación en la sección temática "Sexualidad del clero" de mi site web: http://www.pepe-rodriguez.com) y en la constan pruebas irrefutables del historial sexual de casi 400 sacerdotes actualmente en activo, se documentó la siguiente realidad estadística: Entre los sacerdotes actualmente en activo, un 95% de ellos se masturba, un 60% mantiene relaciones sexuales, un 26% soba a menores, un 20% realiza prácticas de carácter homosexual, un 12% es exclusivamente homosexual, y un 7% comete abusos sexuales graves con menores. Las preferencias sexuales del clero analizado son las siguientes: el 53% mantiene relaciones sexuales con mujeres adultas, el 21% lo hace con varones adultos, el 14% con menores varones y el 12% con menores mujeres. Se observa, por tanto, que un 74% de ellos se relaciona sexualmente con adultos, mientras que el 26% restante lo hace con menores; y que domina la práctica heterosexual en el 65% de los casos, frente al 35% que tienen orientación homosexual. Entre los sujetos con actividad heterosexual u homosexual habitual, el 36% comenzó a mantener relaciones sexuales antes de los 40 años, mientras que el 64% restante lo hizo durante el período comprendido entre sus 40 y 55 años. Los gráficos y otros datos estadísticos pueden encontrarse en http://www.pepe-rodriguez.com y, claro, en el trabajo original publicado en el libro La vida sexual del clero. Los datos estadísticos mencionados pueden ser extrapolables a la situación que se está viviendo entre el clero católico de otros países con estructura social similar a la española. Otras investigaciones, como la realizada un año antes, 1995, en la Universidad de Salamanca y publicada por el Ministerio de Asuntos Sociales, afloraron un dato no menos trágico: del total de españoles que han sufrido abusos sexuales siendo menores, un 10 por ciento fue abusado por un sacerdote católico. Cuando se publicó mi libro, del que en España se han vendido más de 55.000 ejemplares a pesar de la censura impuesta por muchos medios de comunicación, la cúpula del clero español me acusó de mentir y de buscar el escándalo. Curiosamente, ninguno de entre las decenas de sacerdotes y obispos en activo que se mencionan, con su nombre y apellidos, en mi libro, ha presentado jamás una demanda judicial contra mi; la razón es evidente: lo que se cuenta en él es absolutamente cierto, tal como tuvo el valor de reconocer el portavoz de la Conferencia Episcopal portuguesa (ver su carta en mi site web). Obviamente, también se me acusó de mentir cuando hace años afirmé que en la India, país que conozco bien, se estaba violando sistemáticamente a decenas de monjas por parte de algunos sacerdotes católicos. Sin tener que irnos tan lejos, en España, entre los mismos sacerdotes se conoce el prototipo que ellos llaman "gañán de monjas" o "semental de monjas", que son sacerdotes especializados en seducir a monjas. Hasta teólogos católicos muy críticos con la Iglesia, como Enrique Miret Magdalena, gran persona y buen amigo mío, descalificaron mi libro... aunque ahora tengan que tragarse sus propias palabras ante la realidad que ellos mismos denuncian: según el propio Miret Magdalena (Ver El País de 22-3-2001), recientes estudios sociológicos norteamericanos han desvelado que sólo el 2% de los sacerdotes cumple el celibato; mi estudio, en todo caso, se quedaba muy por debajo de este dato porque, tal como ya advertía en él, prefería acogerme a las cifras más modestas posibles, aunque sabía que la realidad del problema era superior. Nada nuevo tampoco en el dato que aporta Miret sobre norteamérica, ya en mi libro documentaba que, en 1995, unos 400 sacerdotes católicos habían sido ya condenados en USA por delitos sexuales cometidos contra menores y que al menos una cifra similar estaban a la espera de juicio. Las indemnizaciones que ha tenido que pagar la Iglesia católica han sido de miles de millones de pesetas; tanto, que en algunos países la Iglesia católica ha contratado un seguro de responsabilidad civil para responder ante las previsibles demandas contra el clero por delitos sexuales. La situación de Estados Unidos no es atípica ni única, sólo que allá las víctimas no temen enfrentarse a la Iglesia. En España hay pánico a la institución y por eso apenas se denuncian los abusos sexuales del clero, y en no pocos juzgados se ha protegido con descaro al sacerdote acusado (algunos expedientes judiciales que lo prueban obran en mi archivo). La Iglesia conoce perfectamente esta situación desde siempre y jamás hace otra cosa que no sea encubrir los hechos. Puedo probar decenas de casos de encubrimiento grave por parte de los obispos, pero como muestra basta uno: en mi site web (http://www.pepe-rodriguez.com) puede obtenerse, escaneados, todos los documentos originales que demuestran cómo el cardenal de Barcelona, monseñor Carles, encubrió una red conformada por varios sacerdotes y diáconos que corrompieron sexualmente a no menos de 60 menores y adolescentes. El cardenal y parte de sus obispos auxiliares (alguno implicado directamente en el caso) no sólo no denunciaron ante la justicia ordinaria el caso sino que tampoco expulsaron del clero, tal como sería preceptivo, a quienes protagonizaron esos desmanes sexuales. En lugar de actuar con honestidad, presionaron a las familias de las víctimas para que callaran y ocultaran lo sucedido y permitieron incluso que quienes entonces eran diáconos fuesen ordenados sacerdotes, actividad que siguen desarrollando hoy día. Esta brutal hipocresía del clero no sólo viene justificada por el talante de algunos obispos --todavía es una conseja corriente, que me han confesado algunos curas, el que cuando un sacerdote le plantee sus dificultades para mantener el celibato a su obispo éste le aconseje: "Si tienes que ir con mujeres, procura ir con casadas, que con ellas no se nota"; es decir, no te complican la vida y si quedan embarazadas, ya que los medios anticonceptivos son pecado, será el marido quién lo asuma-- sino, mucho más grave, por el propio Derecho Canónico que, tal como se documenta en el artículo correspondiente de mi web, obliga a encubrir todos y cada uno de los delitos sexuales cometidos por el clero. Resumiendo los cánones que se citan en el articulo de referencia, se concluye que el "castigo penal" que la Iglesia católica le aplica a un clérigo que, por ejemplo, haya corrompido sexualmente a un menor (can. 1395.2) se limita a la práctica de alguna amonestación, obra de religión o penitencia (cann. 1312, 1339), realizadas siempre en privado (can. 1340) para que permanezca en secreto la comisión del delito. En todo caso, nunca puede emprenderse un "procedimiento penal" sin antes haber intentado "disuadir" al delincuente para que cambie de comportamiento (cann. 1341, 1347), es decir, que la Iglesia siempre perdona y "olvida" de oficio el primer delito --en este caso la primera relación sexual con un menor-- y, en la práctica, también perdona y encubre todos los siguientes. La burla a las víctimas y a la Administración de Justicia es obvia. Resulta absolutamente inaceptable que en un Estado de Derecho se admita una patente de corso como el Derecho Canónico que obliga a encubrir delitos a fin de impedir que la justicia ordinaria cumpla con su obligación. La situación denunciada acerca de las violaciones de monjas no es sino la punta de un tremendo iceberg que la Iglesia no sabe ni quiere resolver. En todas las encuestas entre sacerdotes, no menos de un 75 a 80 por ciento está a favor del celibato opcional, postura que también defiendo yo en mi libro La vida sexual del clero, pero el actual Papa, por motivos estrictamente personales, lo ha impedido (aunque también ha declarado en privado que será inevitable que eso ocurra, pero no quiere que sea en su pontificado). No hay duda de que el próximo Papa permitirá el celibato opcional, no sólo porque es justo y necesario, y mejorará la vida afectiva (que es más importante que la sexual) de los sacerdotes que deseen tener una familia, y acabará con infinitas situaciones de abuso, delito e hipocresía, sino porque, además, es un decreto administrativo relativamente reciente y profundamente antievangélico, sin base neotestamentaria ninguna (ver el artículo correspondiente en mi web). Las razones que explican el que cientos de monjas hayan sido violadas por sacerdotes en 23 países son el resultado de varias causas, al margen de la irracional imposición del celibato obligatorio, que pueden actuar conjuntamente, a saber: 1) En muchos países y/o etnias, la figura del adulto soltero es incomprensible, por ello, si un sacerdote quiere tener predicamento en esas comunidades y ser aceptado, debe tener vida marital. Es de sobra conocido que en África hay muchos obispos que tienen una o varias esposas (que incluso acuden al aeropuerto a despedir al Papa en sus visitas) y lo mismo sucede con muchos sacerdotes. Este hecho se repite en algunas áreas latinoamericanas. 2) La Iglesia tiene problemas graves para enrolar en su barco a nuevos sacerdotes, así que, en muchos países, admite a varones de las clases más bajas que ven en el sacerdocio un modus vivendi, tal como ya sucedió en la Edad Media, la época más brutal en cuánto a la delincuencia sexual del clero. Esos varones, al margen de su cultura étnica de nulo respeto hacia la mujer, al verse investidos del poder y prestigio que concede su cargo eclesial, no encuentran el menor impedimento, por parte de mujeres culturalmente sumisas, para dar rienda suelta a sus instintos sometiendo sexualmente a monjas y feligresas (de las que no se habla en los informes de las religiosas, pero que seguro aportan un número de víctimas muy superior). El patético barniz cultural y teológico que se da en la formación durante el periodo de seminario, no puede poner coto a estos desmanes porque no forma en valores humanos sino en ardor evangelizador, que es algo años luz alejado del mensaje que se lee en los Evangelios. 3) A lo anterior su suma una práctica vergonzosa y nefasta: en España, cuando un sacerdote comienza a tener problemas por ser pública su actividad sexual con menores o con adultos de ambos sexos, primero se le traslada de parroquia para ocultar los hechos, pero, si persiste su actividad sexual, el obispo de su diócesis pone los medios económicos para que el delincuente sexual se marche a instalarse en Latinoamérica o África. A la cúpula de la Iglesia le preocupa más el escándalo que el hecho de que un sacerdote abuse de menores, por eso los envían lejos, saben que las clases más humildes de un país tercermundista no acuden jamás ante un juzgado. Problema resuelto para todos. No hay escándalo y el cura puede satisfacer su perversión sin límites. 4) Este tipo de situaciones persisten, tanto en países del tercer mundo como en los más desarrollados, porque la cúpula eclesial, que siempre y sin ninguna excepción conoce los casos, siempre los encubre. En los casos en que la mujer victimizada, ya sea amante fija del sacerdote, mujer embarazada por una relación ocasional o víctima de violación, acude al obispo de la diócesis en demanda de justicia, éste siempre la culpabiliza a ella y la hace responsable de haber seducido a un santo varón con traje talar; la amenaza del infierno por su pecado horrible es lo menos que deben escuchar esas pobres mujeres. Miles de mujeres en el mundo están o han pasado por esta situación. A pesar de mi dura crítica a la Iglesia, saben todos los que leen mis libros, entre ellos cientos de sacerdotes católicos que apoyan mi trabajo, que no soy anticlerical. Mi crítica va contra una situación injusta, hipócrita y delictiva que perjudica a todos, siendo las principales víctimas los propios sacerdotes y el gran colectivo de las mujeres, ya sean monjas, mujeres de Iglesia o cualquiera otra. La actitud de la cúpula católica con respecto a la mujer es profundamente lamentable (ver el artículo correspondiente en mi web) y debería cambiar con la máxima rapidez en beneficio de todos, también de la propia Iglesia, dado que la gran mayoría de su personal laboral y de sus creyentes son mujeres. Quiero dejar constancia, también, de que hay cientos de sacerdotes honestos, que dan su vida por los demás y a los que siempre he apoyado y apoyaré, tanto en lo personal como mediante notables aportaciones económicas para sus proyectos en el Tercer Mundo. No es lícito decir que todo es basura dentro de la Iglesia, porque es injusto y no es verdad. Pero tampoco cabe aceptar la cretinez que monseñor Guerra Campos le espetó a la presidenta de la Asociación de Padres y Amigos de Deficientes Mentales de Cuenca (ASPADEC) cuando fue a solicitarle que pusiese bajo tratamiento psiquiátrico al sacerdote Ignacio Ruiz Leal, acusado de haber abusado sexualmente de tres disminuidos psíquicos de ASPADEC. El prelado ultraconservador le respondió: "¡Señora, lo que usted me cuenta es imposible, los sacerdotes no tenemos sexo!". Los sacerdotes no sólo sí tienen sexo, sino que lo usan y hacen mucho daño con él. Desde dentro y desde fuera de la Iglesia hay que luchar para que esta situación se acabe de una vez. Dado que la Red nos permite comunicarnos sin censuras, este mail se ha enviado a unas 2.000 direcciones de 14 países. Si tu estás de acuerdo con su contenido, y te parece razonable, envíale una copia a tus amigos. Es hora de que el debate social ayude a cambiar la grave y enquistada situación de abusos sexuales que se vive dentro de la Iglesia. Gracias por tu colaboración. Pepe Rodríguez http://www.pepe-rodriguez.com Las raíces eclesiásticas de los abusos a las monjas por Esther Fangman (monja benedictina y psicóloga) Informe presentado al Congreso de abades, priores y abadesas de la orden benedictina celebrado en Roma en septiembre del 2000. Fue publicado en el Bulletin de l'Aim (Alliance for International Monasticism, número 70/2000). La traducción al español es de Il Regno (número 7/2001). DÓNDE
Y CÓMO NACEN LOS ABUSOS Lo que ha pasado Cómo
ha podido ocurrir Una explicación
psicológica plausible Las consecuencias
para la víctima Resolución del Parlamento Europeo "Sobre la violencia sexual contra las mujeres y en particular contra religiosas católicas" Resolución aprobada en Estrasburgo el 5-4-2001 con 65 votos a favor, 49 en contra y 6 abstenciones. El Parlamento
europeo, |
El
País, 21-3-2001(
