An Argentine judge sentenced former Archbishop of Sante Fe Edgardo Storni to eight years incarceration for abuse of his power to sexually exploit a male seminary student. That sentence punctuated a long running scandal in which a book was published documenting the abuse, the Vatican launched and abandoned an investigation and a succession of victims saw their cases dismissed by various judges.
Not similarly concerned with the abuse of power in such relationships, a California judge sentenced "the youth group leader at Miracle Land Korean Baptist Church in Cypress was sentenced to 90 days for having sex with a 15-year-old girl."
Both abuses occurred in close association with church events, making obvious the link between clerical authority and the sexual incidents.
Both assailants enjoyed the public support and protection of their church communities, as though their were something acceptable about their crimes. That misguided view of clerical sex crime contributes to the isolation of and harm to victims.
Most ethicists agree that betraying the trust of and abusing the authority of the ministry to secure sexual favors does not and cannot result in mutual consent.
The result is instead a form of rape.
Punishment at every level should fit the crime, should it not?
[H/T: Christa Brown]
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for commenting. Comments are moderated. Yours will be reviewed soon.