The conviction only underscores the seriousness of sex crimes as a problem that has been plaguing the Roman Catholic Church, particularly regarding the celibacy of Catholic clerics.

Knowing that all clerics in the Roman rite are obligated to be celibate, there are two main classifications of clerics: religious priests and diocesan priests. The former are those who are incardinated in a diocese and are under the authority of a bishop. The latter belong to a religious order, a so-called congregation.

Diocesan priests make a promise of celibacy and religious priests take a vow of chastity. Both chastity and celibacy have the same practical effects. Both not only preclude marriage, but dating, romance, intimate relationships and casual sex. Those regulations lean on the Gospel of Saint Matthew as the foundation for the assertion that clerical celibacy is somehow willed by Jesus Christ.

Moreover, noted in the history of the Roman Catholic, from the fourth century church councils mandated the obligatory celibacy that was then included in the 1917 Code of Canon Law.

However, we cannot deny that sexual abuse of minors and adults by Catholics clergy has continued from the post-apostolic era to the present. In 2002, the reporters of the Boston Globe investigated and found that more than 150 abuse cases involving priests had been identified and 1,200 stories had been written.

In Indonesia, many clerics, both from diocese and congregations, have known to commit sex crimes, but most of their leaders (bishops, congregation leaders) tend to keep the offenses from publicity, let alone the law enforcers. In some cases the “peaceful settlement” was approved by the victims.

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