In Sex, Power & The Clergy Dr Muriel Porter attempts to explain the broad context of clergy sexual abuse within the churches to the general community, especially the churches’ attitude to sexuality, women, power and leadership. She also explores the long-term implications for the churches and offers some possible ways forward.
The book is easy to read and provides an overview of clergy sexual abuse in Australia, particularly in the Catholic and Anglican Churches. Yet there are minor errors of fact. Dr Porter has mistakenly identifed the victims’ support group TAMAR (Towards A More Acceptable Response) as being from Tasmania, rather than Sydney (page 179).
The opening chapters contain the background to, and the events constituting, the crisis in both its Australian and international dimensions.
Attention is focused on the handling of two sexual abuse cases by the Governor-General, Dr Peter Hollingworth, when Archbishop of Brisbane. Reference is made to the debates in the Catholic and Anglican Churches over sex and gender, community concern over domestic violence and processes within the churches for dealing with clergy sexual abuse. The key role of the public media is identified. In contrast, church publications in Australia have given superficial coverage to the issue.
Dr Porter asserts that all sexual abuse is primarily about power, not sexual gratification. While she notes that Dr Peter Jensen, the Archbishop of Sydney, has identified power as one of the three great temptations facing clergy, she describes the church’s institutional power role, arguing that churches and their leaders seldom recognise the deep potential for abuse of power in their own cultures. Abusive church power has contributed to the crisis by movement of offending clergy from parish to parish and the denouncing of those making accusations. The church is the patriarchal institution par excellence, she writes, and patriarchy (male dominance over women and children) lies at the heart of all forms of sexual and domestic abuse.
Dr Porter argues that the inferior place of women and children in traditional Christian teaching is the central theological issue in the sexual abuse crisis. Other theological issues are justice, power, forgiveness, shame and healing. Her conclusion is that clergy sexual abuse will continue until patriarchy is finally dismantled.
I suspect the central thesis of patriarchy may be a simplistic explanation of clergy sexual abuse. It is likely there are a variety of factors – including depression, naiveté and fulfillment of needs for intimacy and validation through abusive relationships with women and children.
A comprehensive response will require tackling all contributing causes. Nevertheless, are we open to reforming our power structures to minimise the risk of harm to any person from clergy sexual abuse?
Garth Blake
Garth Blake SC, Advocate of the Diocese of Sydney, is currently undertaking a Churchill Fellowship investigating the policies and practices of overseas churches relating to child protection.
