If one is searching church documents for evidence of a church’s prior knowledge of sexually abusing priests he will rarely find the words pedophile, abuser, sex, or any other direct reference to actual behavior. Even in correspondence with medical providers code words and euphemisms are used. All of the euphemistic terms or phrases used to describe a priest who is sexually abusing minors listed below were found in medical, church, or criminal records.

The longstanding knowledge of sexual abuse by priests among the hierarchy becomes decipherable as more and more church documents come to light and are examined. A Cardinal recently (2006) admitted what we have known for a long time, that "codes" are used between bishops to indicate a priest is having problems with sex. This cardinal’s particular code when he sent a sex-abusing priest to the jurisdiction of another Catholic Cardinal was—he is coming for "health and family reasons." He not only admitted that it was a code that any bishop or cardinal would understand, but also tried to defend his position in sending the priest who was soon arrested for sexual assault on minors in his new placement because he thought the priest was "only homosexual."¹

From the 1920s through the 1950s ^{SCHIZOPHRINIC was a commonly used designation for a priest who was involved in sex with children. Fr. Gerald Fitzgerald wrote in 1957 to a bishop who wanted to send a pedophile priest to Via Coeli, "From our long experience with characters of this type…most of these men would be clinically classified as schizophrenic."6 He was also convinced by that time that priests who got involved sexually with children could not be cured.}

2 Fr. Liam Hoare to Thomas O’Brien, bishop of Phoenix, 2/23/89

3 Bishop John A. Quinn 1990 address to the Midwest Canon Law Society

4 Personal communication

5 Witnesses from NYC 1993 and San Diego 2006

6 Fr. Fitzgerald to Brady 9/57

Alcoholism has long been known as a problem among Catholic clergy. The lifetime incidence of alcoholism is twice as high in Catholic clergy (20 percent) than recorded in the general population. Hospital and treatment centers for priests contemplated and established since the 1930s always named alcohol abuse as one major motivation for founding these centers. Father Thomas Verner Moore, M.D. had plans drawn up for a psychiatric hospital on the campus of Catholic University with the treatment of alcoholic priests as one of the major targets.^{7 "Sister Mary Ignatia Gavin pioneered the concept of medical treatment for addiction when alcoholism was thought to result from irreversible moral failure. Gavin founded the world’s first alcohol addiction treatment center in 1939 at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron, Ohio.8 The first treatment center designed exclusively for the treatment of alcoholic priests was founded as Guest House, in Lake Orion, MI in 1956. But alcohol problems of priests were a factor in the founding in 1947 of St. John Vianney Hospital in Downingtown, PA—a psychiatric hospital exclusively for clergy—Via Coeli in 1948 and St. Luke Institute in 1981. But the awareness of the sexual problems hidden behind alcohol moved Guest House in the 1990s to refuse sexually addicted men entrance to their program, at the same time that the awareness of the connection between substance abuse and sex addiction motivated Via Coeli (1976) and later St. Luke’s (1985) to devise and initiate specific treatment protocols for clergy-sex-addiction.}

History of the psychiatric treatment of priests with sexual problems, including abuse of minors clearly demonstrates that ALCOHOLIC was the name given to these men—partly because they were drinking too much and causing—as said in church circles, admiratio populi—scandal. But in truth, scores of the priests and bishops in this group were acting out sexually with children or adolescents. Drinking was a more benign diagnosis—less damaging to the reputation of the clergy and the church than any direct recognition of sexual involvement. It was not politically tolerable to use the word pervert.

The logic behind this psychiatric decision rested in the belief "if you could keep father sober, he would not act in these sinful ways." Some how the idea that a person was drunk at the time of a sexual encounter rendered the sexual element more understandable and less culpable.

The psychiatric designation DEPRESSION is well known and common in US culture. Mental health research has estimated that 7.9 to 8.6 percent of adults will experience a major depression during their lifetime. ^{9 During my years in training and on the staff of a Catholic hospital 10 it was common to have a priest patient who had sexually abused minors to be diagnosed as suffering from depression. And indeed, most suffered from depressive symptoms. They had been caught. Either the police or some church authority noted the sexual behavior and had to do something about the impending scandal or danger of incarceration. The displacement, uncertainty about the future, the fear of a mental hospital setting, embracement and loss of self-esteem, conspired to make the priest or bishop feel depressed.}

The logic of diagnosing depression is similar to that of calling a sex-abusing priest an alcoholic—If we can help father feel better, enhance his self-esteem, and control his dark moods he won’t do these bad things. The excuse of alcohol has been used notable and almost laughably when public figures have been caught in embarrassing sexual misbehavior. "I was drinking," they say. For example Congressman Michael Foley of Florida resigned his post in 2006 because of sexual advances he made to young Congressional Pages. In the aftermath he was "depressed," entered treatment for alcohol addiction and then announced another factor often seen as superior to being identified as an abuser of minors—"I’m homosexual." This triad of drink, depression, and gay identity is often juggled around to find the most acceptable—or least damaging—public explanation of criminal behavior.

Sometimes the sexual element in behavior was too obvious or public to deny on admission to a psychiatric hospital. Even then the fact that a child had been abused by a priest had to be softened and covered as much as possible. The offending priest was treated for a psychiatric disorder (until 1973 when it was dropped from the DSM): he was called a HOMOSEXUAL.

In 1968 this psychiatric cover was somewhat understandable. The texts recorded, "Pedophilia, or a pathological sexual interest in children is regarded as a variant of homosexuality in which the homosexual strivings are directed toward children." The perpetrator was considered weak and impotent, his actions reincarnations of his wishes for his mother’s love, and because of insecurity and self-doubt he functioned on an immature psychosexual level.¹¹

• In 1967 a Monsignor was arrested consequent to picking up a 15 year-old hitchhiker, driving him to his (the cleric’s) parent’s home, forcing alcohol on him, and attempting to rape him. The boy escaped from the house (breaking some furniture in the process) and screaming, roused a neighbor. When the police came at 1:30 A.M. they found the boy confused and distraught lying on the floor of the neighbor’s home. The police traced the priest’s identity through his parent’s home.

The Sheriff directed: "present the information to Bishop Green and let him handle the matter, as has been done in the past."

The Police discounted the idea that the Msgr. might be an "active or latent-homosexual" but that he could be "UNDER SEVERE STRAIN combined with APPARENT INTOIXCATION." (Emphasis mine)

Monsignor was sent to a Catholic General hospital for a 30-day check-up and the announcement was made that he was recuperating from EXHAUSTION from OVER WORK.

• In 1987 a bishop was arrested for sexual solicitation at a truck stop in Massachusetts. The arresting officer, a devout Catholic, did not discover that the man was a bishop from another state until after he had written the citation. He and his superior were concerned about the possible adverse consequences. The officer of the State Police in charge called the Catholic Chaplin and had him drive the bishop home in the neighboring state. The priest chaplain made a note of the incident. The arresting officer was troubled by his part in the incident and feared

scandal. He consulted a well-placed cleric who assured him that he had not betrayed the church by doing his duty. He also made a note of the incident.

This event among others involving minor boys was kept SECRET by the church and the law.

Priests and bishops have been sent for treatment to Catholic hospitals under court order. The arrangement, informal or formal, was an agreement that the understanding judge would not press, or would suspend, charges if the cleric would submit to psychiatric treatment. Senior members of the staff of Seton testified that the practice was long-standing there.

No statement can be clearer about the cozy cooperation between the law and religion-related psychiatric centers than that of Dr. Frank Valcour, the medical director of St. Luke’s Institute when he wrote on December 10, 1992—"Because sexual behavior disorders often involve felonious acts many of our patients have been adjudicated. Some have been on probationary status others have been in treatment in lieu of jail time. Still others have been sent to treatment with us as part of a plea-bargain."

Father Gerald Fitzgerald reminded a bishop who sent a priest for abusing minors in 1953, that priests were spared criminal prosecution only because they were clerics.¹²

written in Latin—entitled De Sexto—as if it would take a classical language scholar to know what those mysterious chapters were all about. It is but one more indication of the degree of secrecy accorded anything that had to do with sex—the forbidden, except to the Initiate.

Coitus was carefully defined—in Latin—so that priests would know the importance of a valid marriage—ratum et conusmatum: that is the couple had to take vows before a priest and they had to have complete intercourse.

Stuprum is a classic term used for centuries to indicate sodomy. Although it has a long history and was used to designate that activity with men or women it is most frequently used in church documents to indicated sex of a priest with a minor, usually a boy.¹³

In chancery documents from 1959 I found the phrase ^{De re turpi cum infantibus to describe a priest in trouble. That is a pretty clear admission of the fact of child abuse, of course, meant only for clerical eyes.14}

Crimen or Delict (literally church terms for crime) are other terms frequently found in church documents to cover a multitude of sins without having to be explict. They are a bit more vague because they are not exclusively reserved for sexual offences against children. They can, among other things, indicate abuse against adult men or women.

Delictus contra naturam cum eodem sexu is a phrase I found in records of Via Coeli to a bishop as late as 1963. Literally it could mean homosexual activity, but it is in the record of a notorious sexual

13: Lansing, Carol, Gender and civic authority: sexual control in a medieval Italian town.

14 ———————————————

abuser of boys. In 1964 the treatment center simplified the term to Code 3.¹⁵

In 1957 Bishop Buddy of San Diego sent a priest to Via Coeli who had abused several minor girls with the description that he had made some MISTAKES that were so well known he would be ineffective in his diocese. He went on to say that if the priest learned "discretion" he could be very useful to another bishop.¹⁷

In spite of Fitzgerald’s opposition to accepting sex abusers as GUESTS in his facilities (priests were not called patients or clients) the demand from bishops was clear and persistent. The cover of alcoholism was evaporating to expose underlying sexual dynamics.

TROUBLESOME INVOLVMENTS is a label that indicates sexual activity, but usually with adult women or men. A priest considered a sexual addict, had sexual activity with many women over a forty-year period including several long-term relationships (at least 7 women recorded, one as young as 17) fathered 4 children, visited prostitutes, etc. After several reports to his superiors of his activity that was common knowledge, his provincial told him to see a psychiatrist. The superior did not mention women or sex, only concern over " your FREQUENT AND LONGLASTING INVOLVEMENTS." The priest was given a new assignment where he was not known, but the pattern of his behavior continued for another twenty years.

Being OVER FAMILIAR with as vague a group as "lay people" can be found in bishops’ correspondence or it can be more specific such as, "with boys working at the parish." It means sexual abuse.

"Father is in an UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION" or caught up in UNACCEPTABLE BEHAVIOR PATTERNS, or was IMPRUDENT, or has been involved in some UNFORTUNATE INCIDENTS" are all code words that indicated sexual misbehavior especially with minors in communication from bishops and superiors referring priests to treatment facilities.

As programs for sexual treatment like those of the Paracletes, St. Luke’s, Institute of Living, the University of Minnesota, etc. proliferated, the bishops echoed more psychologically sophisticated terms when they sent priests for treatment. These included the codes such as BOUNDRY VIOLATIONS, IMMATURE, ADJUSTMENT PROBLEM or on occasion rather directly INAPPROPRIATE ASSOCIATON WITH A MINOR.

These terms went back and forth between treatment facilities and bishops even as the psychiatric treatment centers became more precise in recording the terms PEDIOPHILIA and EPHEBOPHILIA. Evaluations and diagnoses often times reflect a gentler and less specific term—SEXUAL DISORDER NOS (not otherwise specified)—

The media coverage of high profile abuse cases has made the reporting of clergy behavior clearer and more direct: it is not uncommon to read that the priest ABUSED a child or adolescent. The press frequently used the word pedophilia; sometimes imprecisely when it designates sex with an adolescent. TOUCHING as well as abuse are terms often used to designate behavior that more accurately could be named rape.

Public outrage has forced many bishops to make an APOLOGY FOR THE SUFFERING OF THE VICTIM. Rarely does it have the ring of a personal confession or regret. Frequently a victim reporting his or her experience is met with the question of MISUNDERSTANDING the priest’s movement or intentions.

On record a few strong priests have taken the pulpit to say, "I am an alcoholic and I am going for treatment." Most often, official pronouncements of a priest’s or bishop’s absence for treatment declare that the person is EXHAUSTED or under sever strain.

As recently as 2003 (and 1994) two bishops announced that a priest was leaving the parish for reasons of a HEALTH AND REST or SABBATICAL. Both were sexual offenders.

Some priests and bishops who have been described as OVER WORKED or RETIRED FOR MEDICAL REASONS were in fact being treated for their sexual activity. Of course, the fact that some priests and bishops leave their posts because they are genuinely ill, overworked, and need to retire causes confusion and injustice.

TICKLING, HORSE PLAY or WRESTLING are words used to cover up sexual grooming or frank sexual activity and abuse. The most extreme example I know of occurred in the conduct of a young assistant pastor who established a sexual bond with a boy when he was 15 and 16. One of "games" the priest played with the boy while both were naked involved tying him to the bed and then sodomizing him. On one occasion the boy freed one of his legs and began flailing around. In the process he hit the wall hard enough to put a hole in it. The pastor responded to the ruckus, came into the room, and said, "You’re going to have to pay for the repair of that damage. Later when the abuse was litigated the pastor said he thought they were just horsing around.

These words—tickling, horsing around, wrestling— that intimate playfulness and innocence have been used repeatedly by abusers and their lawyers to deny, minimize, and disarm the actual behavior even if they see it with their own eyes. Words that sanitize abuse do nothing to help heal the profound effects of abuse of minors.