Author:
- Michal Opatrný, Katedra sociální a charitativní práce (Department of Social Work and Caritas Studies), Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích (University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice) - Academia.edu, ResearchGate

Abstract: »In response to initial reports of child abuse scandals within the Catholic Church in the USA and Western Europe, a contrasting narrative emerged in the post-communist states of Eastern Europe. It was commonly assumed that the prevalence of abuse cases was lower and less destructive in these regions, due to the state’s strong control over the Church and the high risk of blackmail by the secret police, which was thought to deter potential offenders among the clergy. However, the findings presented in this chapter challenge these assumptions. Focusing on four abuse cases from Czechia within the last five years, the chapter employs grounded theory methodology. Using basic coding to examine open-source data on abuse cases between 2018 and 2021, this study outlines the factors that contributed to the publication of these cases and their escalation into scandals. Key factors identified include the silence of Church authorities at the diocesan level, their denial and downplaying of the cases, the intimidation of survivors, and the involvement of top Church leaders in shaping the response to investigations and public statements. Consequently, this chapter proposes that the research output can be categorised into two grounded theory categories: the anti-scandalizing strategy and the scandalizing strategy of paradoxical intention. The analysis demonstrates that the social and institutional environment within the Church in then-communist countries may have been even more destructive for victims than previously assumed.« (Source: Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion)

Wikipedia: History of Europe: History of the Czech lands | Catholic Church: Catholic Church in the Czech Republic | Sex and the law: Sexual violence / Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in the Czech Republic