Cape Town
The South African Catholic Church is investigating cases of alleged sexual abuse of children by priests and church employees. In the most recent reported case, a child claimed to have been abused during a camp by a Sunday school teacher near Cape Town just a few weeks ago.
Auxiliary Bishop of Cape Town, Reginald Cawcutt, said a protocol had been established to help counter sexual abuse locally. Bishop Cawcutt said: "The problem is not as bad as it is in America, Canada and England where the church is being sued for millions. There is great abuse by priests of children, and sometimes the problem could be that the bishop is not aware and it goes by unnoticed."
He said an official survey had not yet been conducted, but he believed the problem should be tackled before it escalated. Cawcutt urged people to help get rid of unprofessional priests and religious workers, as well as guilty church employees such as Sunday school teachers.
This comes in the wake of the Vatican's decision to act on a shocking report released on the sexual abuse and misconduct of priests on nuns in the Catholic Church in Africa. But local bishops are questioning the credibility of the report and the survey it was based on.
"It is not specified who wrote the report, or the figures of people used, which makes it harder to determine how big the problem really is," said Cawcutt. "The survey was also done without notifying us (the bishops) here in South Africa, and it doesn't specify where in Africa the survey was done."
According to the National Catholic Reporter, a weekly religious newspaper, the report claimed that nuns were raped by priests in "a limited geographic area" in Africa and cited four reports by senior members of convents between 1994 and 1998. However, Cardinal Wilfred Napier, president of the Southern African Bishop's Conference, said he believed the incidents of sexual misconduct and abuse "would more than likely have been consensual instead of forced".
He cited reasons for these actions as cultural diversity or a lack of respect of the priestly vows of celibacy. Cawcutt said once a case of sexual abuse of nuns or children is reported, a social worker is assigned and immediately speaks to the victim and the parents or the convent superiors.
Then a committee is formed including a priest, psychologists and social workers. If the accused is found guilty the matter is brought before the bishop. The priest is then suspended, "depending on the circumstances".