Abstract
AbstractThe ideas in this paper were originally presented in 2002, to three Catholic audiences, at the height of the media storm about the handling of pedophilic priests by the Church. The speakers had taken part in the evaluation of more than 100 professionals who had crossed sexual boundaries, including 30 priests. Seven clinical perspectives on the cultural hysteria are offered to stimulate the thinking of mental health professionals: Priests are only human beings. Most sexually inappropriate priests are not pedophiles. The media's use of “pedophilia” is different from psychiatry's use of the term. Catholicism is expected to offer redemption. Bishops have a public relations conundrum. More rigor and balance are necessary when evaluating the effects of priest abuse on victims. Homosexuality is not the root of the problem. Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd.
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