Sir, - Sean O'Conaill (December 13th) misreads the correspondence between Richard Sipe and myself concerning the question of clerical sex abuse of minors published in The Tablet. Contrary to Mr O'Conaill's claim, Mr Sipe did not say that a 1995 survey in the United States of 19,000 treating professionals showed that 54 per cent of such cases of child abuse by clergy involved Catholic clergy. Rather he claimed that there was a higher rate of perpetrators and victims among the Catholic population as a whole. They made up 54 per cent of this group, whereas Catholics comprise only 25 per cent of the population of the United States.
The correspondence followed my reference in an earlier piece in The Tablet to the research of Professor Philip Jenkins of Pennsylvania State University published in his book Paedophiles and Priests: Anatomy of a Con- temporary Crisis (Oxford University Press, 1996). Jenkins argues there that the sexual abuse of minors by Catholic clergy is much less common than headlines imply. His findings suggest that the figure for such sexual misconduct among Catholic clergy is no greater than that suggested for the population as a whole, and no greater than that for clergy of any other denomination.
These findings are surely food for thought for those like Mr O'Conaill who speculate as to whether there may be a connection between child abuse and clerical celibacy. Furthermore, arguing that the abolition of mandatory celibacy for priests on the grounds that it will prevent child abuse is unconvincing. Those with such tendencies may abuse their own children. - Yours, etc.,
Niall Coll (Rev), St Peter's, Dungloe, Co Donegal.