Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk talks with The Enquirer Monday. (Glenn Hartong photos) | ZOOM |

        While Christian congregations observe the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ during Holy Week, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati has its own cross to bear. Angry and hurt Catholics have demanded to know why a handful of priests still are serving, despite substantiated claims of sexual misconduct.

        Past victims of sexual abuse say the church hasn't learned its lessons and continues to operate under a shroud of secrecy.

        In an interview Monday with The Cincinnati Enquirer, the Most Rev. Daniel E. Pilarczyk called sexual misconduct repugnant. But he defends the church's decision not to report the allegations to law enforcement.

        The archbishop — spiritual leader to more than a half million Catholics in Southwest Ohio — discussed the issues with reporter Richelle Thompson. Here are excerpts:

        Q. Some people have blamed celibacy as a contributor to child sex abuse by priests. Would dropping the requirement of celibacy address the issue of sexual misconduct?

        A. Archbishop Pilarczyk:I don't think so. The fact of the matter is that most sexual misconduct against children takes place in families. It's called incest.

        And if you're going to say that because we think a lot of sexual abuse happens because of celibacy, and we're going to do away with celibacy, then we should also say that since the vast majority of sexual abuse happens in families, we should do away with families. ...

        This is another example of the quick fix. “The villain is celibacy. Do away with celibacy, and everything will be all right.” No, it won't. ...

        Q. Has the shortage of priests lowered the standards or encouraged the church to keep a problem priest?

        A. The training that contemporary seminarians get is a lot better than I got in the 1940s and '50s. I have often said that if a seminarian were presented to me for ordination who had the exact same academic formation I had, I wouldn't ordain him. He wouldn't be ready. Are we keeping people around who shouldn't be kept around just because we don't have enough? No, we are not.

        Q. Do you have any fear these “fewer than five” priests could commit more abuse?

        A. I cannot guarantee that anybody will not commit sexual misbehaviors.

        I can say, however, that these priests who have offended and who are still in service are surrounded with a net of support and restriction that makes it extremely difficult, if not practically impossible, for them to offend.

        But can someone offend if they really set their mind to it? Sure. I can't put people in jail.

        Q. Law enforcement can put people in jail. But they didn't have the option because they weren't aware of the allegations.

        A. When we deal with allegations, we are not just dealing with the perpetrator. We are dealing with the victim.

        Quite often, the victim comes to us and says, “I have something to tell you. But you have to promise me that you're not going to take me to the law with this or you're not going to publicize this.” In order to protect the victim, that's what you're going to have to do.

        If the victim wishes to go to the police, the victim is free to do so. If the victim has said, “I want this under the cover of religious confidentiality,” we are not free to go to the police unless the victim allows us to do that.

        Q. Why allow the priests to resume priestly duties? Why not place them in administrative positions?

        A. I do not have the canonical authority simply to fire a priest and say, “You will never serve again in priestly ministry.” I have the authority to suspend a priest. ...

        I have the authority to require the priest to go for psychological evaluation. I have the authority to require the priest to undergo therapy. But I do not have the authority simply to say, "You're out of here.”

        Q. Who has that authority?

        A. The archdiocesan tribunal. ...

        Q. Would you change how you've handled the present situation?

        A. If I were going to do that press conference again, I would put in a paragraph saying, “Here's our Decree on Child Protection. This is the second edition. The third edition is in the works. And I'm proud of what our diocese has done in this matter. We have had dozens and dozens of workshops on this child protection decree. We've given out hundreds of thousands of (child protection pamphlets). I think we've made people more aware of the dangers of child abuse, of all kinds, than they have ever been before.”

        I don't think I said enough about the good stuff. I think we have done a pretty good job.

        Q. There are a lot of faithful people who are really hurting. What do you want to tell them?

        A. Your children are not at risk. I want to tell them that we have kept the law. We have followed our policies. I want to tell them that if someone has been mistreated, abused, sexually or in any other way, we want to know about that because we want to help you.

        I want to tell them, “We're sorry this happened to you.” And I want to tell them, “We want to do everything we can to see that it doesn't happen again.”

        Q. What will the impact be on the church?

        A. I don't know. The Lord is the main player in the church. I think, in my more optimistic moment, there can be some positive outcomes in all this. A greater awareness of child abuse, an awareness of what is available from the church to deal with child abuse, more attentiveness on the part of people about child abuse. ...

        Then why am I so unhappy? Because these matters are repugnant. They're repugnant to think about, they're repugnant to talk about, and they're repugnant to deal with. And I don't like it. It makes me feel creepy.

        Now, I have to do this because it's my responsibility. And I believe I have done a pretty good job, perhaps the best we could hope for, but I still wish it would all go away. ...

        Q. You're in prayer about this?

        A. Oh, the Lord knows that I'm concerned about all this because I tell him so a couple of times a day.

        The people are praying. I have received a lot of the prayers and promises of support. I think people realize that we are in a time of suffering. I happen to be the guy who gets his picture in the paper, but we all are suffering. We are suffering because we are being made to face up to a repugnant reality, and it's the reality of child abuse. ...

        Q. It will be a difficult Holy Week?

        The thought occurred to me, the Lord walked uphill to Calvary, and we're walking uphill, too.

        We have done what is right. We may not have done it as well as we could have, and we may do it different in a hundred years. But I perceive that we have done what is right. ...

        Easter is a Passover feast. I'm wondering if this very painful and very difficult experience that we're all going through, not just me, but everybody who reads a newspaper, everybody who goes to church Sunday, everybody who has a kid, everybody who has been abused by a priest. ... Maybe this Easter will be a passover experience, from that into something else less painful.

        But it's all up to the Lord.

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