Roman Catholic clergy sex offending: An existential -phenomenological analysis

The news of the clergy sex abuse scandals has brought shock, rage, and sorrow to all people of religious belief. Experts concur that the phenomenon of child sexual abuse in the priesthood is a complex issue that does not admit of simple understandings or simple solutions (Rossetti, 2002). It requires a depth of analysis and a unique sensitivity to the multiplicity of issues and layers of meaning involved. While most researchers are grappling to articulate who these Catholic clergy sex offenders are and why they act the way they do, no study has explored these men's experience of sex offending, much less their experience of being both a sex offender and a priest or religious brother.;This work elaborates on the ways in which an existential-phenomenological approach to research and treatment may contribute to an increased understanding of these men. This perspective allows us to consider the existential themes that shape an individual's worldview, and how the inherently relational aspect of human existence uniquely shapes the comportment and lived experience of these men. As such, critical elements related to an individual's lived theology and the socio-political context of the Church, which mutually inform their identity and may contribute to personal distress are emphasized. It is my expressed hope that this project will generate ideas that will expand our knowledge and inform future research and treatment planning.;This dissertation reviews the literature of current treatment approaches for Roman Catholic clergy sex offenders and critiques the consistent absence of an appreciation for and a consideration of an individual offender's lived experience. Treatment programs that focus solely on changing behaviors and altering the thoughts that lead to these behaviors deprive clients and those entrusted with their care/treatment the opportunity to explore and derive insight into the contributing factors associated with their experience of offending. I posit that offending is not an isolated behavioral event among many other events within their daily lives. Rather, offending reveals a particular reflection of an individual's way of being in the world and tells a story of how a person uniquely relates to and acts out of the multiple variables of personal existence that led up to, existed during, and evolved following his experience of offending. Thus, I contend that the lived experience of an individual's offending holds personal significance and meaning that must find a voice if understanding, change, and healing are to occur.