Archbishop Exner of Vancouver Discusses Issue of Sexual Abuse within Church and Society

Interview by Simone Hoedel
(from the Prairie Messenger, Sept. 11, 1995)

In an interview last year with Archbishop Exner, Simone Hoedel asked for his views on the problem of sexual abuse within the church and society

Exner: For two years I was a member of a committee that produced two reports, the first called From Pain to Hope and the second called Breach of Trust, Breach of Faith. The second publication is a study action kit for parishioners and other groups who want to become familiarized with the phenomenon of sexual abuse within the church and society.

"Sexual abuse is nothing new to our age. It has been around for centuries. What is new is that the veil of secrecy has been torn away and now it's out in the open. Gradually we are beginning to look at it, although I suspect most people are not yet ready or willing or capable of facing its reality.

"There have been two national studies on the issue of sexual abuse, one published in 1984 and a second in 1991. Both of these studies indicated that one-third of all males and slightly over 50 percent of all females have experienced an unwanted sexual act before the age of 18.

"Mind you, an unwanted sexual act doesn’t necessarily mean intercourse: It could mean an inappropriate touch or sexual harassment or something of this kind.

"Another thing that is probably not known or considered sufficiently is the fact that the vast majority of children (by children I mean people under the age of 18) who are abused are not abused by clergy or professionals or teachers or doctors. It's the professionals who hit the newspapers but those cases involving professionals are really only a small percentage of the abusers.

"About 95 per cent of children who are abused are abused by members of family or by people closely associated with the family.

"While professionals guilty of abuse must be dealt with, I think this larger societal problem also needs to be addressed. I don't think it has been adequately addressed as yet but I think we're on the way.

Hoedel: People have commented that the church hasn't gone far enough to address the problem.

Exner: I don't think it’s fair to say that the church at least in Canada hasn't taken responsibility. I served on a committee for two years, we've produced a tool that has now gained recognition even beyond our borders on how to deal with cases of sexual abuse.

"We recommended that every diocese have an advisory committee which will look into every allegation of sexual abuse as soon as it is made. We also recommended that there be a victim's assistance committee which will get in contact with the victim and with the victim's family in an effort to provide the kind of help needed.

"Dioceses right across Canada for the most part have established these kinds of structures and many of them have paid out big dollars to help people who need assistance.

Hoedel: By way of compensation?

Exner: Some have paid compensation but for the most part dioceses provide assistance by way of therapy, counselling, that sort of thing.

"I haven't done a survey, but all the bishops I know in Western Canada have acted on this issue. Even if they feel uncomfortable with it, the need to be vigilant in this area is so great, and they know that. If a case is neglected they can be sued and be liable for big, big damages.

Hoedel: What is being done to screen candidates for the priesthood?

Exner: We require a psychological assessment for every candidate for the seminary. I'm confident that most, if not all, dioceses are doing the same. Seminaries require it for admission and if it’s not done before somebody comes to the seminary, then its done during the first year in the seminary.

Hoedel: How effective are these assessments?

Exner: You can probably spot someone who has been an abuser. You might in some instances also be able to suspect somebody who has an inclination or a leaning or a weakness in that area, and who could probably become an abuser in the future.
But with regard to the future, it's not foolproof. There is no simple way of knowing what a human being will or will not do 20, 30 years down the road. There's just no way you can guarantee he won't do this or that in the future.

"The RCMP have a very thorough screening process and yet some of them don't turn out well. The same is true with seminaries. But I would venture to say that seminarians are probably the most thoroughly screened group of candidates in society. That has always been the case.

Hoedel: Could power structure and celibacy be a contributing factor in abuse?

Exner: The celibacy issue was studied in depth by the Winter Commission, which is the commission that did the extensive study in Newfoundland. All the current research on the issue of celibacy and sexual abuse leads to the conclusion that one cannot link celibacy with sexual abuse.

"In other words, celibate people are no more prone to sexual abuse than is anyone else. They are simply a cross-section of humanity. That was the finding of the Winter Commission.

"As far as power is concerned, there may be something there in the sense that in certain parts of the country, and particularly in Newfoundland, the priests were very much on a pedestal and couldn't do anything wrong. No one questioned the priest's behavior. He was accountable to no one.

"To the extent that this was the case in Newfoundland, it may have been a contributing factor. Because in the end, sexual abuse is an abuse of power over a minor, an infant, a child. It's an abuse of power, so if somebody is in the position where he is not accountable to anyone, then power can indeed become a contributing factor.

"But, if a person is prone to being an abuser, they'll find the opportunity. You don't have to be a priest to have that opportunity. The vast majority of priests have been faithful and are faithful to their vows.

"We have 1,100 or 1,200 priests in Canada and there have only been something like 56 convictions that I am aware of. Furthermore, these convictions were based on incidents which happened over the last 30 or 40 years. So 56 cases in 40 years is not a bad record at all when seen in perspective.

"What has happened in some instances, in newspaper articles, on radio and television, and in society in general, is that there are people who have painted everybody with the same brush: priest - abuser. That is really unfair and very hurtful to priests.

Hoedel: Do you think the media has been unfair then?

Exner: In some instances, I think so. I'd like to say though that on the sexual abuse issue, the media did the church and society a service by bringing it out into the open. However, the way it was done was sometimes unfair. Unfair in the sense that as soon as somebody was accused, the media automatically concluded that he was guilty.

"In our country we are innocent until proven guilty, but with regard Ito sexual abuse, it doesn't appear to work that way. Not when it's a priest. As soon as a priest is accused, automatically he is considered guilty.

"You've heard of the case of Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago who was accused of abusing a young man many years ago. The young man tried to sue him for $10 million. The man withdrew the charges because the only memory he had of this was a memory evoked by a psychiatrist through hypnosis. The psychiatrist evoked that memory.

Hoedel: It was a false memory?

Exner: The fellow himself feels he can't trust his memory. So he withdrew the charges. The humiliation, pain and suffering the cardinal had to endure in the meantime is easy to imagine.

Hoedel: Has the issue of abuse damaged the reputation of the church?

Exner: I think beyond doubt it has been very hurtful to a lot of people. I have heard a lot of priests say that they feel uncomfortable when they get in front of their congregations and wonder if the people in the pews are saying, "Maybe he's one of them."

"That's painful. It has shaken the faith people have in the clergy. There was a time when people thought a priest couldn't do any wrong and then they find out otherwise and realize that the priest is a member of a sinful humanity too.

"And in some ways maybe it's more realistic that just because you're ordained and wear a collar doesn't take away all your human weaknesses. You still have the same blood flowing in your veins, the same tendencies and the same temptations as anybody else. It has humanized them a lot and in the long run that's perhaps good."