Psychosocial dynamics of the US Catholic Church sexual abuse crisis

Background: This paper presents open systems analysis of the organizational dynamics of the US Catholic Church sexual abuse crisis. Most of the current literature on the crisis assigns culpability to various parties involved--in most cases to bishops and Church officials in Rome. This analysis offers a way of understanding events that goes beyond assigning culpability on the part of Church leaders. Material and Discussion: As an open system, a church is a system of interdependent, purposive activities, one that survives and develops through interchanges with its environment including the society of which it is a part. Key elements in this discussion include the dynamics that result from the idiosyncratic church structures and processes, and the apparent preoccupation with sexual matters, all of which are imbedded in a religious belief system and a high dependency culture. Conclusions: The picture is of a church experiencing the catastrophe of thousands of cases accusing priests of sexual abuse of young people, of an institution that has lost its capacity for openness as it is overwhelmed by the heaped-on needs of members from a flood of constituencies. Key elements in this discussion include the description of the Church as an open system, the notions of primary task, sentient group life, a high dependency culture and the unconscious motivation operating in individuals, groups and the total Church enterprise.