The Response of the Catholic Church in the United States to Offences of Sexual Abuse of Minors Committed by Clerics Based on the Example of the Diocese of Fairbanks

Abstract

Offences of sexual abuse committed by clerics, which are a grave sin, cause physical, mental and spiritual harm to their victims and greatly harm the community of the faithful. In order to prevent such situations from happening anymore, it is necessary to take great responsibility for minors, for people who habitually have an imperfect use of reason and for people to whom the law recognizes equal protection. This concern may be considered an indispensable part of the mission entrusted to the Church, which, as a community of the faithful, strives for the salvation of every human being and for the common good of the community in which it carries out its mission. The answer to how to accomplish this task and how to bring church communities out of the deep crisis caused by sexual abuse of clergy comes from the Catholic Church in the United States, including the Diocese of Fairbanks.