The shocking revelations that a Catholic priest is alleged to have abused over 200 deaf children at the Milwaukee's St. John’s School for the Deaf is another black eye for the scandal-ridden Catholic church.  However, for deaf individuals, it is also a somber reminder that deaf youth face a disproportionately high risk of sexual abuse.

Catholic Priest Abuse Spanned Decades
The allegations, unearthed Wednesday by the New York Times, report that Father Lawrence Murphy assaulted boys as young as 12 over a 20-year period between 1950 and 1974, often while hearing their confessions.  The Times also alleges that Cardinal Ratzinger, who is the current Pope, opted not to pursue efforts to defrock Murphy despite being aware of a spate of allegations.

On the surface, Father Murphy appeared to be a dedicated servant of deaf youth.  He was skilled in communicating via American Sign Language (ASL) and also a robust fundraiser for deaf causes.  However, the revelation of his predatory behavior revealed not only his pathological duplicity, but the unfortunate tendency for deaf youth to be victims of sexual abuse from priests and other authority figures.

Sex Abuse Risk Greater for Deaf
Studies conducted over the last two decades have shown that deaf youth are between three to five times more likely to suffer from physical or sexual abuse than their non-deaf counterparts. The increased risk spawns from a confluence of factors, such as the high reliance deaf children have on adults, the lack of information they receive about how to communicate inappropriate behavior and their inability to communicate abuse once it has occurred.

Priest - Sex Abuse - Deaf Relationship
An eerily prophetic letter published by Reverend Joseph A. Mulcrone, Archdiocese of Chicago, in a parish bulletin dated September 2009 detailed the often troubling relationship between priests, sexual abuse and the hearing-impaired.  In the letter, Mulcrone revealed experiences related to him by deaf parishioners about suffering Catholic priest abuse.  Mulcrone argues that the sexual abuse of deaf children stems directly from communication abuse, which he describe as the refusal of individuals to accept that the primary language of deaf children is sign language.

While the news of abuse of the hearing-impaired at the hands of a Catholic priest is harrowing news, it also serves as a reminder that deaf youth are frequently at risk, and that parents and advocates must be vigilant in making sure they are protected from harm.

Photo of victim Gary Smith courtesy Bishopaccountability.org. Read more.