2. The sexual involvement of adults with children・\especially incest・\is ancient. Historical accounts since the beginning of the church have recorded sexual abuse of minors by clergy. Most prominent are the writings of St. Peter Damian (1007-72) on celibacy; his 1049 letter to Pope Leo IX is an explicit exposition of priest abuse of minors, specifically boys. A priest's sexual violation of a minor girl or boy is a two-fold violation; a betrayal of his celibate promise and destructive use of the power of his office. Peter Damian compared it to ・gspiritual incest.・h With two colleagues (Doyle & Wall) in 2006 I published a summary of the history of clergy abuse under the title of Sex, Priests and Secret Codes: The Catholic Church's 2000 Year Paper Trail of Sexual Abuse.

3. On the completion of my ethnological study of celibacy in 1985 I concluded that at any one time no more than half of Catholic clergy professing celibacy were actually practicing sexual abstinence. [A figure not disputed in 1993 by Cardinal Jose Sanchez Secretary for the Congregation of the Clergy in Rome.] In addition, data showed that 6 percent of priests get sexually involved with minors. In 2004 a statistical study commissioned by the American bishops and utilizing documents from their files concluded that 6 ½ percent of priests during that period were reported for abusing minors. Currently 6,500 American clergy have been reported for abuse. The most reliable estimates of abusing Catholic clergy in the U.S. now run between 6 and 9 percent, with many dioceses recording 10 percent. The Los Angeles archdiocese had 11 ½ percent abusing priests in the active ranks of its clergy.

4. It can be stated with reasonable certitude that a higher proportion of Roman Catholic priests abuse minors than a group of men of comparable, age, training. Many reasons can account for this particular deviance among a group of men who are publicly sponsored as sexually safe・\clerical culture is a haven for underdeveloped and psychosexually maldeveloped men: a) the clerical culture demands perfect lifelong sexual abstinence and obedience from any man ordained to the priesthood; b) celibacy is maintained as a means of institutional control; c) priesthood excludes women and thus establishes a homosocial society; d) effective training for celibacy is deficient or entirely lacking in seminaries and religious houses; e) celibacy is not well practiced within the system by superiors・\bishops, rectors, confessors, etc.・\this establishes a dissonance between stated doctrine and actual practice that in turn encourages the development of a sociopathic atmosphere; f) clerical culture attracts, cultivates, promotes and protects psychosexually immature men.

6. The exact numbers of abused or clergy abusers are not known. Our experience in the United States has been that sexual abuse by clergy is symptom of extreme systemic dysfunction. It is very difficult for victims to come forward in public to accuse their priest abuser. The power structure of the church is extremely resistive to any exposure of its crimes. Most victims of clergy abuse take an average of 32 years before they can report the crime they suffered. We know only a portion of actual cases of abuse and assault by Catholic clergy. In Europe only the tip of the iceberg is now showing. It has taken us in the U.S. nearly three decades to acquire the base line of cases we have established (6-9%). Abuse and sexual activity among the higher echelons of the church have not yet been exposed. The sexual activity (past or present) of bishops and superiors is one of the most powerful elements that condition them to cover up the crimes of their subordinates. They need not have abused children themselves, but their sexual activity is likely to be exposed if the web of secrecy ruptures.

7. There is no question that mandated celibacy is one important element in the phenomena of Catholic clergy abusing minors. It forms a synergism within a homosocial culture that fosters and rewards psychosexual immaturity or regression. Emotional and social dependence, overvalued conformity, a sense of entitlement, assurance of superiority, the arrogance of absolute certitude, and immunity from criticism or personal responsibility for mistakes are constitutive elements of the Catholic clerical culture.

8. Celibacy (religious) can be possible and is practiced by 2% to 10% of vowed clergy over long periods. I, like many others, found it possible and rewarding for an extended period of time. The structure of a regulated life, community support, satisfying work, and a routine of prayer and contemplation・\some elements that continue in my professional and married life・\made celibacy relatively easy for me. It fit me at the time, and I learned a great deal from the practice. For me obedience was a far greater problem. The 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae was not acceptable, intellectually or pastorally.

Some very devoted, committed scholars, and dedicated men and women employ the practice of celibacy in the service of others. Gandhi remains an explicit example. Celibacy, however, is not natural. Church teaching recognizes that and calls it a gift and a grace. I know many active priests who say that celibacy is ・gimpossible.・h Huxley has called it the ・ggreatest sexual perversion.・h

My position is clear: celibacy, in all of its aspects, must be freely chosen and openly discussed.

In your view, why does the Catholic Church keep imposing celibacy for their clergy, despite all the problems and despite all the criticism?

9. There is a long and solid tradition of celibacy in Christian spirituality・\as there is in other religions. The only biblical endorsement we have is that of St. Paul who posed it as a personal choice and not a divine dictate. The spiritual motivation for celibacy does persist in tradition; however, the mandated requirement of celibacy for clergy is founded on (administrative and corporate) control. Mandated celibacy for clergy has never worked well. The monarchical structure of the church will collapse to one degree or another if the demand for celibacy is abrogated. The church (including the Vatican) has an almost inexhaustible tolerance for celibate violation in order to preserve that power. Priests leaving the priesthood and public scandal are prices the church is willing to pay for perpetuating the demand. It is a complicated social problem. Clerical celibacy is le don, the basic social contract between the Catholic Church and her members. The belief in sexual purity has given the priesthood its particular power.

10. There is no question that the corruption in the Catholic Church of which abuse of minors is a major manifestation goes to the very top of ecclesiastical structure. This is fostered in three specific ways: the sexual behaviors of all varieties by the highest officials in the church and Vatican; the tolerance of these behaviors on every level of clerical institutions from seminaries to the Vatican; and the cover-up of even criminal activity under the guise of privelege and spiritual forgiveness. The church has inflicted a great deal of harm to countless people because of their (arrogant and wilful) modus operendi and their inability to intervene in any effective way. Documents demonstrate and will continue to substantiate the claims that the systemic operation of the church on every level has conspired to avoid scandal, protect its financial interests, and its bella figura over the protection of children and the vulnerable. Europe is experiencing the unfolding of the pattern and practice of the Catholic sexual system just as we did in the United States from 1985 till now.

11. Historical documents, archieves and studies reveal a long tradition of secrecy and even prevarication about the sexual violations of clergy. The preservation of the image of a pure and perfect priesthood has been vital to the interests of the clerical power structure. Scandal undermines control and credibility. Avoiding scandal, that is, allegations, facts or impressions that could damage the reputaion of the church or give enemies of the church occassion to attack has been a priority of the Vatican especially since the Protestant Reformation.

Do you have tangible evidence or information on whether current pope Ratzinger was involved in the sex abuse scandal, either directly or through covering up?

12. I have read accounts in the press that Pope Benedict XVI as Archbishop of Munich overlooked and failed to monitor and discipline a priest who had been credibly accused of child abuse. In essence he covered up the crime. While he was Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (formerly the Office of the Inquisition) he refused to discipline an American priest who credibly abused 200 deaf children (・gfor the greater good of the church・h). These incidents and documents have been well circulated in the world press. Any of us in the United States who have worked with civil or criminal cases of abuse by priests have seen Ratzinger's signature on documents that show he knew the facts of the alleged abuse by priests. There is no one in the Vatican who has had more information about sex abuse of clergy than Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI).

13. The Pope has made a number of apologies about clergy abuse, some in public from St. Peter's pulpit others in private sites in the presence of a few victims. His comments have become more personal and emotion-laden over the past few years especially since publicity about crimes in Ireland, Germany, The Netherlands and Belgium have surfaced. I have no reason to doubt his sinceritiy. But these belated jestures lack the substance of real understanding of the systemic nature of the problem or any indication of reform.

In Luxembourg, the Catholic Church recently put in place a hotline for abuse victims by their own clergy. What's the credibility of such initiatives?

14. Establishing a Hotline to report abuse is a common practice as groups initially become aware of the public dimensions of the problem. I have participated in hotlines in the U.S. and England (sponsored by victims). They can be effective in breaking ground and helping frightened victims to come forward. The key must be to exposing, not hiding, the existence and gravity of the problem. Reports of hotlines in Germany, Austria, Belgium and The Netherlands have recently drawn attention to the scope of the problem in their areas.

15. I regret that I have never visited Luxembourg and do not know the relationships between church and state. I have the opinion that the church should not be above legitimate civil law and clergy should be subject to criminal prosecution equal to any citizen.

16. I have already alluded to some of the conclusions from my 25-year ethnological study of celibacy and sex among Roman Catholic priests in the U.S. Since sexual urges come and go and vary in intensity and with opportunity sexual abstinence can be relatively periodic. Most priests (90%) abstain from sex periodically. At any one time 50% are sexually active in a variety of behaviours. Masturbation is the most common and most frequent sexual activity across the board among priests and bishops. But involvement with women is prevalent either experimentally or in sequential affairs, or with one companion. Clergy sex with a male companion, similarly experimental and episodic or promiscuously or with one steady partner have all been recorded in the behaviours of 30% of American priests. Many clergy try to satisfy sexual curiosity via pornography; the Internet sex is new and fertile source of preoccupation for some priests. Other deviant behaviours are recorded among clergy.

How do you see the position of the Catholic Church in relation to sex, in theory and in practice?

18. The church is at a ・gCopernican・h moment in regard human sexuality. Vatican understandings of human sexual nature, development, behaviour and identity are inadequate and not accurate. Dialogue and re-evaluation about sex must consider a shift equal to that of the heliocentric debate of the 17th Century. Measure instruments are less fixed, but equally complex issues are at stakes that are vital for the development of the life on the planet.

19. Awareness and publicity about the problem of sexual violation by priests and the pattern and practice of church officials to deny, minimize and cover up crimes is producing some reactions and attempts to cope with the reality of the crisis. Although good things are in process, we must not fool ourselves into thinking that the roots of the problem and necessary reforms have yet been even broached. Not one American bishop has raised his hand for effective reform after 25-years of exposure of the problem. All initiatives at combating the crisis have come from lay leaders and movements. The church has been reactive and defensive. I think that we are in an era of church reform equal to that of the Protestant Reformation. The battle lines are not denominational or geographic・\they are between reason and fear; responsibility and control.

20. Yes, there is hope in the progress of thought and behaviour. The church is an institution in evolution. Religions must grow, adapt, evolve or die. The internal strife involved in the process has never been easy or without casualties and scars. Reason and grace are perennial guides. The Roman Catholic Church is an ecclesia semper reformanda・\it is in process. Human sexuality is the focus of the current challenge to Catholic reformation.