April 6, 2001
PRESS RELEASE
CONTACT: Terry Dosh 617-8271818
ARCC CALLS FOR A PAPAL COMMISSION TO INVESTIGATE SEXUAL ABUSES
The Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC) calls for an immediate, thorough and open investigation by Church authorities of reports concerning widespread sexual abuse of nuns by Catholic priests first presented to the Vatican at least six
years ago.
A long overdue inquiry, preferably by a papal commission that includes laymen and laywomen with competence in the human sciences, must focus on the Church's discipline regarding priestly celibacy. While we do not agree that celibacy directly causes sexual assaults, we believe that enforced celibacy is itself a sexual assault on the rights of priests who are its victims and that it contributes to the cycle of the abused turning into abusers. By claiming authority over one of the most intimate aspects of a priest's manhood, church leaders (who are themselves products of the same formation process) keep him on a leash in a subordinate role. The relatively powerless tend to compensate by violating the rights of those over whom they have control.
ARCC is a national organization of Roman Catholic clergy, religious and lay people with affiliations in eleven European countries. ARCC works for the promulgation of those teachings which were stated at the Second Vatican Council. ARCC accomplishes this task through education advocacy, networking, and the circulation of its document A Constitution for the Roman Catholic Church to the Catholics of the world.
For information about ARCC, visit our website at http://arcc-catholic-rights.org or contact our office, PO Box 912 Delran, New Jersey, (609)461-8960 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (609)461-8960 end_of_the_skype_highlighting. E-mail ccooperpt@aol.com.
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