One of the few features of the Vatican responses to the abuse scandal that I can agree with, is that it is incorrect to speak of widespread "pedophilia", or "child" abuse. They point out, quite correctly, that much of the abuse is not against young children, but against adolescents, and so is more correctly described as "ephebophilia". Here, though, I part company with the Vatican apologists: the higher age makes he allegations different, but still indefensible. Abuse remains abuse, whatever the age of the victim, and to take sexual advantage of another from a position of power remains abuse, even if there has been nominal consent. But it doesn't stop even there. The victims of abuse are not just young and adolescent boys, or young boys and girls, but also include many adults, especially religious women and male seminarians. I have written on this before, but have been disappointed that in the present close attention to the worldwide problems of abuse, little has been written elsewhere about the widespread abuse of adults. We should remember that one the accusations against one of the of the most notorious alleged miscreants, Fr Marcial Maciel Degollado of the Legionnaries of Christ, was that he abused both women (with whom he fathered children), and male seminarians, as well as his own children. Before the current uproar led to the resignations of a handful of Irish bishops, the few other bishops to have resigned over abuse were some who had themselves been found to have had sexual affairs, invited or otherwise, with adults. There have also been numerous reports that some leaders of female religious houses, especially in Africa, have pleadedd wiht their local bishops for protection from predatory priests, usually meeting with little success.
Marcial Maciel Degollado with his patron and protector, JPII
Now, a worthwhile piece by Angelina Bonavoglio at Huffington Post goes some way to correct that imbalance. This deals only with the adult women, not the seminarians, but it's a start.
