The report of the French Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE), led by Jean-Marc Sauvé, is a momentous accomplishment filled with important recommendations, yet still remains controversial. Building on the November 16 event “Prière De Ne Pas Abuser (Please Do Not Abuse),” this event brings together experts from France and elsewhere in Europe to better understand this reality and the possible global implications for safeguarding in the Catholic Church and other faith communities.
This discussion highlighted the insights from two new and quite comprehensive books on sexual abuse, L’Église catholique face aux abus sexuels sur mineurs (The Catholic Church and the Sexual Abuse of Minors) (2019) by Marie-Jo Thiel and L’Eglise déchirée (The Torn Church) (2021) edited by Stéphane Joulain. Additionally, Antoine Garapon, a prolific author and judicial expert who was also a member of CIASE, joined these two authors and discussed the immediate and long-term implications of the Sauvé report. The conversation was moderated by Senior Research Fellow Rev. Gerard J. McGlone, S.J.
This event was co-sponsored by Georgetown University's Collaborative on Global Children's Issues; Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; Initiative on Catholic Social Thought in Public Life; Office of Mission and Ministry; and Georgetown Law Office of Mission and Ministry.
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Dr. Antoine Garapon was a member of the French Independent Commission on Sexual Abuse in the Church (CIASE). He served as a juvenile judge for many years and now teaches at Sciences Po Law School in Paris, France. He has written widely on judicial issues, legal philosophy, and comparative legal cultures. His latest book (with Jean Lassègue) is Le numérique contre le politique: Crise de l’espace et reconfiguration des médiations sociales (2021).
Fr. Stéphane Joulain, M. Afr., Ph.D., is a psychotherapist specializing in the protection and treatment of children who have experienced sexual abuse and an adjunct professor at St. Paul University in Ottawa, Canada. Presently residing in Rome, he works as the coordinator for integrity in ministry for the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers). He is the author of Combattre l’abus sexuel des enfants (2018) and editor of L’Eglise déchirée (2021).
Rev. Gerard J. McGlone, S.J., Ph.D., is a senior research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs. Previously he was an assistant professor of psychiatry in Georgetown University's School of Medicine. Most recently, he was the associate director for protection of minors for the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. He was also recently the chief psychologist and the director of counseling services, as well as faculty and staff psychologist, at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. He has been executive director at several major treatment centers for clergy and religious in the United States-Saint John Vianney Center and Guest House, Inc.
Dr. Marie-Jo Thiel is a professor of ethics and moral theology and director of the European Center for the Study and Teaching of Ethics (CEERE) at the University of Strasbourg in France. She has been trained as physician, is member of numerous ethics committees and of the Pontifical Academy for Life, and has previously served as president of the European Society of Catholic Theology and as a member of the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) for the European Commission. Her published works include L’Église catholique face aux abus sexuels sur mineurs (2019).