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novapsycheFormer Jesuit Comments Criticized
Roman Catholic Church officials are distancing themselves from comments by a retired Jesuit official who suggested that a priest's alleged abuse of native Alaskan boys wouldn't have much effect because their culture was "fairly loose" on sexual matters.
[...] Loyens, who was in charge of Jesuits in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska from 1976 to 1980, said in the deposition he had no indication or suspicion that Convert might have acted inappropriately.
But when asked whether a white priest fondling an Alaska Native boy would have an impact, positive or negative, Loyens said the Athabascan Indian and Yupik Eskimo cultures were "fairly loose" on sexual matters.
He said he knew mothers in villages who played with their baby boys' testicles "and the little boy was enjoying this immensely."
Asked how that applied to a priest accused of molesting boys ages 6 to 12, Loyens replied that, 30 or 40 years ago, "that would be less impressive than it would be for, say, somebody in Fairbanks or Spokane."
Plaintiffs' attorney John Manly then asked: "So basically, it wouldn't have, in your view, much of an impact?"
"That's what I'm inclined to say in terms of the anthropological background," Loyens replied.
Roman Catholic Church officials are distancing themselves from comments by a retired Jesuit official who suggested that a priest's alleged abuse of native Alaskan boys wouldn't have much effect because their culture was "fairly loose" on sexual matters.
[...] Loyens, who was in charge of Jesuits in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska from 1976 to 1980, said in the deposition he had no indication or suspicion that Convert might have acted inappropriately.
But when asked whether a white priest fondling an Alaska Native boy would have an impact, positive or negative, Loyens said the Athabascan Indian and Yupik Eskimo cultures were "fairly loose" on sexual matters.
He said he knew mothers in villages who played with their baby boys' testicles "and the little boy was enjoying this immensely."
Asked how that applied to a priest accused of molesting boys ages 6 to 12, Loyens replied that, 30 or 40 years ago, "that would be less impressive than it would be for, say, somebody in Fairbanks or Spokane."
Plaintiffs' attorney John Manly then asked: "So basically, it wouldn't have, in your view, much of an impact?"
"That's what I'm inclined to say in terms of the anthropological background," Loyens replied.
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Date: 2004-03-08 07:26 am (UTC)