Priests found guilty of sexual abuse must be given "meaningful work" if they are to be fully rehabilitated into society, a psychotherapy conference in Dublin has been told.
Dr Geraldine Taylor, a clinical psychologist who specialises in the treatment of clerics who have abused, said it would be "unethical and irresponsible" to return such priests to their old positions. However, "if you just warehouse them you are setting them up to fail; you are setting them up to reoffend".
Dr Taylor, who works for Encompass, an Australia-based treatment centre for clerical sex offenders, told the After Trauma conference at Dublin Castle yesterday that "meaningful work" was a key factor in successful after-care for abusers, along with a "supportive social settlement".
Encompass, set up by Catholic bishops in Sydney eight years ago, has assessed more than 650 people, about 120 of whom have been treated through a six-month rehabilitation programme. None was found to have reoffended.
"Clergy tend not to offend against strangers. Normally they groom their victims over a long period of time, and they are also less likely to use violence," Dr Taylor said. She did not believe celibacy caused abusive behaviour, as most paedophiles first offended in adolescence or early adulthood - before priesthood could possibly be an issue.
She said the church still had to face up fully to the legacy of abuse against adults.
"Four times as many adult women and twice as many adult men are abused by clergy compared to children. So children are not the primary target. The figures are fairly universal on that."
