Concerning Victims, Sexuality, and Power: A Reflection on Sexual Abuse from Latin America

Abstract

This article offers theological reflection on the sexual abuse crisis in the Latin American church, focusing on the child victim. Beginning with a summary of the scandal as it has hit the Latin American church, the author shows how the clerical sexual abuse crisis engages with the particular sociopolitical contexts of children in Latin America. The article then contextualizes a theology of childhood in the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s care for the young and vulnerable children. Finally, the author offers some fundamental theological reflections for an ecclesial response to the crisis, focusing on a theology of the child.