Sexual assault and abuse occurring within the Catholic Church have continued to make headlines across North America for decades. Victims of sexual abuse- men, women, young, and old- have been coming forward with accounts of horrific abuse, and after years of silence, Canadian courts are giving survivors an opportunity to be heard.
About 35 years ago, the sexual abuse of minors emerged as a chief social and ecclesial issue in Canada. It can be said that since the 1984 Badgley Report, Sexual Offenses Against Children in Canada, which sheds light on the severity of the harm involving child and adolescent sexual assault, raised the nation’s public awareness about child sexual abuse.
In June 1992, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops released a report on child sexual abuse occurring in the Church.
The report highlighted three objectives for the Church to move toward a future without sexual abuse, namely:
- To deal effectively, justly and compassionately with cases of sexual abuse;
- To work towards eradicating the blight of sexual abuse within the ranks of the clergy; and
- To contribute to the eventual elimination of this plague in society as a whole by educating and sensitizing the Catholic population. (more...)
Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. John Bradford Talks About Catholic Church Sexual Abuse
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