What can make churches unsafe? The catholic church as total institution

The chapter explores the organizational structures of churches that enhance conditions for the abuse of power. Such abuse of power can persist even in ecclesial environments that have committed to zero tolerance for abuse. In this chapter, Lledo-Gomez draws upon her concrete experience and roles in positions of service to her local church--ranging from youth minister, reader, senior server, and extraordinary minister of holy communion to chair of the Australian Catholic Bishops Commission for Social Justice, pastoral associate for staff, and theology lecturer at a Catholic university , to wife of a permanent deacon--to arrive at the finding that the same churches that support people can also use and abuse them, not only sexually but spiritually. She argues that the safeguarding of children must be widened toward people's generalised vulnerability to the abuse of power, toward specific ways a religious institution can be set up and maintained that cater to spiritual abuse such as manipulation, coercion, and controlling behaviour, censorship, isolation as punishments and compelled obedience to an abuser. There are risk factors for clergy-perpetrated abuse,a nd they remain risk factors for other kinds of abuse even when clergy-perpetrated abuse is absent. The chapter employs a powerful framework for 'total institution' and investigates whether and how some of its features apply to Catholic experience. Total institutions constitute alternative moral universes, embrace assumptions about human nature, extinguish members' previous identities, promote secrecy and exhibit unique power structures and unique informal group dynamics. A trauma-informed approach to these risk factors will prioritise safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment, these being protective factors associated with synodality and a means to measure the integrity of those claiming commitment to safeguarding in the church.