Effective treatment possible for sex abusers, say two experts

Published: 2004-02-03

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Many priests who have abused children can be treated to prevent future abuse, said two experts involved in treatment programs. "There's a mistaken idea that treatment doesn't work. Treatment does work in reducing relapse," said Father Stephen Rossetti, president of St. Luke Institute in Silver Spring, Md., which treats priests involved in child sex abuse. A major problem, however, is that many priests who need treatment are not entering programs now because they have little incentive to do so under the U.S. bishops' "zero tolerance" policy of dismissing priests from ministry for even one act of abuse, said Father Rossetti. Agreeing was Dominican Sister Donna Markham, immediate past president of Southdown Institute in Aurora, Ontario, which also treats priests and religious for various disorders. Both said that some form of limited, supervised ministry could be possible for offenders diagnosed as low risk for relapse. They were interviewed Jan. 30 while in Washington for meetings.

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