EDITORS OPINION

Child Abuse and Neglect

The positives of child-rearing need to be
stressed to counter the abuse of children

L
ast August, two news stories led me to write epidemic proportions in this country.
this column for this edition of The Priest, Neglect is the failure to supply a childs basic
since January is when the magazine tradi- physical, educational and emotional needs.
tionally highlights pro-life concerns. Physical abuse is physical injury, including
The two stories, reporting events in different incidents of parental disciplining that may
places in this country, were about small children result in harm to the child.
who died of heatstroke after being left in locked, Sexual abuse is actual erotic action such as
closed automobiles by parents who went some- touching or exposing private parts on the part of
where else to do something or another. an adult, presentation by an adult to a child of por-
In one case, a 1-year- nographic material, or, believe it or not, an adults
old boys mother had left complicity or proactive participation is selling a
The topsy-turvy him in the back seat of child for another persons sexual gratification.
the car, windows rolled Emotional abuse is any behavior that assaults a
condition of up, while she went into childs emotional balance or development, filling
family life and the grocery. Returning to the child with questions as to self-worth or of be-
the car, roasting in the ing loved, and this may be the result of criticism,
marriage these summer heat, with her
groceries, she assumed
threats, rejection or indifference by a parent.
The Church, and its clergy, if the world were
days seriously that the baby was fine perfect, would be at the forefront of calling pub-
because he was not cry- lic attention to the problem of child neglect, but
aggravates the ing. (He probably was three factors rob bishops and priests both of the
unconscious.) spark to take the initiative in this matter and of
problem. Back home, she took the credibility needed to be effective.
the groceries into the First, bishops and priests are subject to the un-
house to prevent spoil- awareness of the problem experienced by most.
age. Her phone rang. She talked for some time. Second, the clergy sexual abuse crisis 10 or
Then, feeling tired, she lay down on her bed and so years ago ruthlessly damaged the image of
went to sleep. Finally awakening, she missed her Catholic clergy. Our credibility is compromised.
baby. She rushed out to the car and found the Third, the culture deals another blow. Long gone
lifeless infant. Panicky, she called 911. Emer- is the day when Catholics saw priestly celibacy, and
gency medics arrived, pronounced the baby dead virginity itself, as a glory of the Church and of reli-
and called the police. gious vocations. Very many people are convinced
The mother is awaiting trial for manslaughter. that no celibate knows much about child-rearing.
Given the frenzy of modern life, such situa- Even so, the Lord admonished the apostles to
tions could happen to many children. The frenzy bring forward the children. He said that anyone
of life precisely is the problem. Children get lost putting a child at risk better would be cast in
in the shuffle all too often. the sea. Priests, in their very vocation, have an
It is more than that. Child neglect is a major obligation to the young.
problem in American society. We do not talk Here are some statistics from various interests
about it. It seldom makes the news. dealing with child neglect, including the U.S.
What is child neglect? It is any action that Department of Health and Human Services, the
puts a child at risk or National Council on
in want resulting from BY MSGR. OWEN F. CAMPION Child Abuse and Fam-
abuse, or denial of ily Violence, and the
whatever is required MSGR. CAMPION is editor of The Priest and associ- U.S. Department of
for the childs good ate publisher of Our Sunday Visitor. He is a former Justice:
emotional or physical president of the Catholic Press Association and the Each year 3.3
health or growth. Ex- Vaticans ecclesiastical adviser for the International million reports of child
perts say it has reached Catholic Union of the Press. neglect and abuse are
6 The Priest January 2013
 Januaruy 2013 Vol. 69 No. 1
PRESIDENT/ PUBLISHER
Greg Erlandson
ASSOCIATE
PUBLISHER/EDITOR
Monsignor Owen F. Campion
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Father Mark G. Boyer
Father Patrick M. Carrion
Deacon William Ditewig
Wayne M. Lenell, C.P.A.
Father Edward F. Steiner
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Murray W. Hubley
DESIGN
Rebecca J. Heaston
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Therese Calouette
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Christopher Rice
Our Sunday ViSitOr, PubliShing
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades
Copyright 2013, Our Sun-
day Visitor, Inc. The Priest
(USPS 817-740) (ISSN 0032-
8200) is published monthly
by Our Sunday Visitor, Inc.,
200 Noll Plaza, Huntington,
IN 46750. Subscription rate
in U.S. and Possessions: one
year, $43.95; two years, $75;
three years, $105. Outside
the U.S. (in U.S. dollars only):
one year, $56; two years,
$100; three years, $142. For
bulk rates, call 1-800-348-
2440, ext. 2450. Periodicals
postage paid at Huntington,
IN 46750, and additional
entry points. Postmaster:
Send address changes to: The
Priest, 200 Noll Plaza, Hun-
tington, IN 46750.
EDITORIAL ADDRESS: The Priest,
Editorial Dept., 200 Noll Plaza,
Huntington, IN 46750; Phone:
1-800-348-2440; Fax: 1-260-359-
9117; E-mail: tpriest@osv.com.
CIRCULATION ADDRESS: The
Priest, Circulation Dept., 200
Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN
46750; Phone: 1-800-348-
2440; Fax: 1-260-356-8472;
E-mail: osvsales-@osv.com.
ADVERTISING ADDRESS: The
Priest, Advertising Dept., 200
Noll Plaza, Huntington, IN
46750; Phone: 1-800-348-
2440; Fax: 1-260-356-8472;
E-mail: adsales-@osv.com
Available in microfilm.
Write: UMI, 300 North Zeeb
Rd., P.O. Box 1346, Ann Ar-
bor, MI 48106-1346; Phone:
1-800-521-0600.
www.osv.com
8 The Priest January 2013
filed with 6 million children affected.
The United States has the worst re-
cord of any major industrialized nation:
More than five children die every day
in this country because of neglect or abuse.
Estimates are that only half of actual
cases ever are reported to authorities.
Abuse and neglect occur at all socio-
economic, ethnic, cultural and religious
strata, and among people of every stage of
education.
Abused children are 25% more apt to
become pregnant in teenage years.
Thirty-six percent of incarcerated wom-
en report that as youth they were abused.
Priests can help. Priests can observe. They
come into contact with children. Remove
the rose-colored glasses. Not to be paranoid
or voyeuristic, but neither to be nave, that
good loyal family, at Mass every Sunday,
may be harboring some very dark secrets.
Divorce is a given these days, and it is
everywhere. So very often, tensions come
into homes when children are yours,
mine, and ours. Just as bad, or worse, is
when a divorced spouses partner lives in
the home without benefit of marriage.
Because of economics, this country
expects, and presumes, that both parents
will spend their days out of the home in
employment. Not to put parents who work
on a guilt trip, but priests have the chance
to remind parents of obligations to children
and of realities created by the absence of
both parents from the home regularly.
Here is a thought. Catholic schools,
admittedly not as many as they used to
be for many reasons, exist to assist par-
ents in the education for the young. Why
not consider child-care facilities as mod-
ern parish services? Then there is all the
misery brought into lives of children by
divorce of their parents.
Marriage itself is in crisis, without even
thinking about child neglect.
Priests know this. No priest of my
acquaintance has anything but a serious
thought about preparing couples for mar-
riage and about helping spouses in trou-
bled marriage resolve differences.
Realizing the cavalier approach to
marriage, and to intimacy, in this culture,
we priests must say again and again the
Church programs for the married are of-
Get your copy of Our Sunday Visitors Full Line Catalog 1-800-348-2440
fered with the happiness of spouses in mind
and these programs are needed.
Be proactive if cases of neglect seem to
be happening. Do not be afraid to confront
parents or, if all else fails, to contact public
child-protection offices.
Parish education opportunities come.
Inform people about child neglect. Inform
parents about skills in parenting.
Child neglect? It is all around us, Rever-
end Fathers. God bless the children. TP
CALLENGE OF FAITH (from page 24)
carnation, in His becoming man, in His shar-
ing our human weakness so as to transform
it by the power of his resurrection. In Him
who died and rose again for our salvation,
the examples of faith that have marked these
two thousand years of our salvation history
are brought into the fullness of life (Porta
Fidei, No. 13).
I conclude with a passage from Pope Bene-
dicts second book on Jesus where he writes:
Faith is something more than a word, an idea:
it involves entering into communion with Je-
sus Christ and through Him with the Father.
Faith is the real foundation of the disciples
communion, the basis of the Churchs unity
(No. 97). And our Holy Father continues in so
many ways, most recently in this Year of Faith,
to strengthen that unity as he seeks over and
over again to confirm us in the faith, a faith
that is at the heart of his papal ministry and
the heart of our beloved Church.
Moreover, in the words of Benedict XVI:
Having faith in the Lord is not something
that solely involves our intelligence, the area
of intellectual knowledge; rather, it is a change
that involves our life, our whole self: feelings,
heart, intelligence, will, corporeity, emotions
and human relationships. With faith every-
thing truly changes, in us and for us, and our
future destiny is clearly revealed, the truth of
our vocation in history, the meaning of life,
the pleasure of being pilgrims bound for the
heavenly Homeland (Audience, Oct. 17,
2012). TP
MSGR. VAGHI is a priest of the Archdiocese
of Washington. He is pastor of Little Flower
Parish in Bethesda, Md., and is chaplain of
the John Carroll Society in Washington, D.C.
Copyright of Priest is the property of Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to
multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users
may print, download, or email articles for individual use.