Be sure to examine what #039;truth#039; is

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 3, 2002

These must be terrible days to be a Roman Catholic priest. It pleases some people to presume most priests are sexual predators, because they have the excuse of so many priests recently being exposed to be that in fact. At the same time we bring to justice every person who has sexually assaulted someone, we need to protect those falsely accused and bring to justice those who make false allegations.

While it is scandalously true that a discouragingly large number of priests, and some other clergy, have been shown to be guilty and while some school teachers have exploited the vulnerability of their students, offense is sometimes on the other side. Moreover, the total picture has become distorted by a combination of offense by a professional person being more sensational news as well as the unusual privacy protection for minors. We hear about almost all offenses by the former and seldom of the latter.

Without minimizing the emotional, social, and physical harm done to innocent children and youth who are abused, I call us to take seriously the devastating impact upon the career and even life of an innocent professional person, falsely accused. The fact of the matter is that, happily, from a large number to most abused children recover adequately. Few falsely accused professionals ever do.

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While it is just and reasonable to hold adults with official influence to a higher standard than their minor clients, as I have asserted here, they are as much entitled to equal protection of the law. But the cards are stacked against them.

All that is necessary to ruin a teacher, for instance, is for one child to make one foolish remark. This is picked up, not infrequently by a frantic parent, who rushes to law enforcement. What is no more than an unfounded, uninvestigated allegation makes headlines. School administration disowns the teacher and put him on leave. All evidence, even that supporting the accused, is kept secret. It slowly makes its way to court, and justice grinds slowly. The child confesses to a lie or the parent acknowledges irresponsible gossip. The court finds the defendant not guilty.

But the school is, understandably, reluctant or unwilling to receive the teacher back. He can't find a teaching position in any other school system, and no one will never admit why he is rejected. If he does begin to teach elsewhere, someone is sure to spread the story of the discredited and even disproved allegation with the same gossipy venom as if it were true. And it has the same impact.

The tragic reality of present conditions is that if a teacher or a clergy person is as much as accused of sexual offense, he or she is going to suffer as much as if guilty. Indeed, it may come to be that such victimized people may never again practice their profession.

Let us learn how to be critical of allegations without harming those who tell the truth but also deal sternly with those who do not. Let us be extremely careful about presuming upon simple allegations and so prejudge the accused. When an accused has been shown to be innocent, let us give him or her as much protection, support, and encouragement as we are giving now to those actual victims of sexual abuse.

We do want to protect children and youth, and we must become as concerned about innocent teachers falsely accused.