Donohue: John Jay report deficient

The Catholic League’s Bill Donohue is calling into question the findings of the  John Jay “Causes and Context” study.

From EWTN:

Catholic League president Bill Donohue said that a recent study on sex abuse within the U.S. Catholic Church defies its own research in concluding that homosexuality was not a significant factor in the crisis.

“While there are many exemplary aspects to the study, the clear failure on the part of the researchers to pinpoint the role that homosexuality played in accounting for the abuse crisis is unacceptable,” Donohue told CNA on May 24.

“Indeed, their own data belie their conclusion that this had nothing to do with homosexuality,” he said.

Donohue released a 25-page critique on the study on his website.

The Catholic League is well-known for being able to find offense and anti-Catholic bigotry in even the most obscure places, and Donohue is often indignant toward those who don’t share his idea of Catholic values. But this is an interesting and novel critique, attacking a study commissioned by the National Review Board and approved for printing by the USCCB.

The study was clear: neither celibacy nor homosexuality were factors contributing to abuse. Yet this claim seems counterintuitive to some. The conventional wisdom during much of the last decade was almost split among left-right lines. On one side, “If priests could only get married, this wouldn’t have happened.” The other, “Gays must be barred from seminary and the priesthood!” Both claims were repudiated by the study, apparently much to the chagrin of Donohue. It will be interesting to see if the bishops reply to this critique (several high profile Cardinals, archbishops, and bishops all offer praise on Donohue’s website for his organnization).

Michael J. O’Loughlin