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PDF versionAccountability, transparency and the bishops
by Maureen Paul Turlish on Oct. 31, 2011
It has been almost 10 years since the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States mandated accountability and transparency in regard to the sexual abuse of children, but how that accountability and transparency was defined was ultimately left up to individual bishops, as was their application.
Truly independent oversight by a group of bishops who did not think it necessary to hold themselves to the same sanctions they placed on priests continues to be essentially nonexistent. Diocesan review boards set up to investigate those accused of inappropriate or questionable behavior serve at a bishop's pleasure, and he alone decides whether or not to follow their recommendations.
Review board decisions are not binding on bishops, and board members themselves have no way of knowing whether they have received all the information a diocese has on an individual priest's questionable behavior. Diocesan review boards, moreover, do not necessarily investigate all those accused or removed from ministry.
This has played out time and time again since 2002, as bishops across the country have decided not to follow the USCCB's mandates but rather have spent years and millions of dollars fighting the court-ordered release of documents, files and records, keeping depositions sealed, avoiding having to testify in civil court cases by filing for the federal protections of a Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy and challenging state court decisions right up to the U.S. Supreme Court.
While no bishop in the United States has ever been held criminally responsible for facilitating or enabling the sexual exploitation of a child, they have cut deals to avoid prosecution in a number of jurisdictions. Bishops have left known sexual predators in ministry, transferred them around a diocese, to other dioceses and even out of the country in attempts to protect a religious institution's image rather than the children, who are its most vulnerable members and about whom Jesus speaks so often in the gospels.
More than that, saying one is concerned about protecting children in the present and the future does not mitigate any organization's responsibility for crimes against children committed in the past.
Until arbitrary and outdated criminal and civil laws covering childhood sexual abuse are brought into the 21st century, all children remain at risk. Childhood sexual abuse is an epidemic in this country, an epidemic that worsens daily and one that is not confined to the Catholic community.
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However, in every state where there has been movement to revise the criminal and civil statutes of limitation covering the sexual abuse of children, the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, together with state Catholic conferences, has been at the forefront in viciously opposing legislative reform that would better protect all children.
This has been the case in numerous states, including Colorado, Ohio, Maryland, New York and now in Pennsylvania, where House Bills 832 and 878 are languishing -- not even being allowed into committee, where both discussion and testimony are possible.
Legislators have backed down from doing the morally right thing, which is to allow victims access to justice, because they fear a powerful backlash from a Catholic vote.
Accountability, transparency, justice and morality appear to be absent in the rationale of such opposition. Added to this is an appalling amount of disinformation about proposed legislation that is being spewed out by bishops and state Catholic conferences.
The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, along with state Catholic conferences and a number of bishops, has publicly stated that removing statutes of limitation is not fair to an accused individual who may not be able to defend himself against claims alleging sexual abuse in the past.
What is never mentioned is that in civil cases, the burden of proof rests with the plaintiff, not with the accused, and if proof is nonexistent, has been destroyed or cannot be found, individual cases will not go forward.
When Archbishop Charles Chaput was the spiritual leader of the Denver archdiocese, he was quoted as saying that the result of any kind of statute of limitation reform would lead to a "dismantling and pillaging [of] the Catholic community," but the archbishop never offered evidence to support such a specious claim.
In 2007, Delaware passed the Child Victims' Law, removing all civil statutes of limitation going forward in regard to the sexual abuse of children while opening a two-year civil window for bringing forward previously time-barred cases of abuse by anyone.
Delaware now has the strongest legislation in the country on childhood sexual abuse with no criminal or civil statutes of limitation going forward, and the Catholic community has been neither dismantled nor pillaged.
We have reached a new time in this country with two high ranking clergymen -- Bishop Robert Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., and Msgr. William J. Lynn, the former vicar of clergy in Philadelphia -- now facing criminal charges for putting children in danger because of their mishandling of priests accused of sex crimes.
On Friday, prosecutors in Philadelphia submitted a 53-page motion in the criminal case involving Msgr. Lynn and four others, alleging that "church leaders handled similar accusations against dozens of other priests 'saying that Msgr. William J. Lynn acted under a well-established, deliberate, orchestrated plan' by Archdiocese of Philadelphia officials to protect abusive priests."
Should those who failed so miserably for so long be trusted to take the high ground now and do the right thing? Remember, altruism was never the basis for the U.S. bishops' 2002 decisions.
Holding those who commit the heinous crime of sexually exploiting children or enable others to do so is much more than the temper of the times. It is matter for the criminal justice system because it is society's responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves.
[Maureen Paul Turlish is a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, an advocate for legislative reform and a member of the coalition Justice4PaKids.com]
Certain fundamental things
Certain fundamental things have not changed, or perhaps have gotten worse. Lay Review Boards are just that Lay Review Boards. The Church hierarchy isn't particularly comfortable with members of the laity calling the shots regarding any member of the clergy. In Philadelphia it became clear that the Review Boards was subject to the whims of a "puppet master" in the chancery. I have little doubt that such was and is the case elsewhere. In Santa Rosa, Bp. Daniel Walsh, who himself cut a deal to avoid prosecution after letting a confessed abusive priest escape to Mexico, over-rode his own Review Board. They found accusations against a monsignor to be credible, and recommended his dismissal. Walsh disagreed, and the man is in ministry today (after having unsuccessfully sued his accuser and SNAP).
If there is a bright side to the indictment of Bp. Finn, it is that we'll no longer have to listen to conservatives blame "those permissive Vatican II" bishops for the sort of clericalism that has pervaded the culture for time immemorial.
KIDS & 2012 ELECTIONS .....
KIDS & 2012 ELECTIONS ..... Thanks, G. Bulloch, for your incisive reinforcement of Sr. Maureen's powerful and comprehensive indictment of the inexplicable failures of US Catholics, especially politicians, to protect children from priest rape, especially after all of the 2002 Boston and 2011 Philly horrible revelations. Few have stood up for defenseless children longer and more effectively than Maureen, as she currently spearheads the effort in PA to get a legislature usually under the bishops' thumbs to do their duty and act to protect children.
I would only add to Maureen's excellent analysis that the greater political failure to legislate has been, and continues to be, at the US national political level. Republicans bow to the bishops and their large wealthy Catholic donor base, while Democrats lower their heads and hope the bishops won't publicly excommunicate them. Catholic politicians, like Biden, Boehner, Pelosi, and many others, consistent with constitutioal law, have to start acting bravely upon their Catholic principles and stop this incessant sexual abuse of innocent kids.
This is at least a national crisis and it requires a national solution, as Germany, Ireland and many other nations have recently demonstrated. 2012 is a presidential election year. We must demand that our national politicians protect our defenseless kids, at least as well as the politicians protect the 1%, Wall Street and the big banks. Please speak out Catholics; it's your kids and grandkids that remain at risk. Your voice and vote matters.
Since my four chilldren were educated by nuns in Maureen's Notre Dame order, it is especially uplifting to me that she is such a prophetic witness to the Gospels.
For more information on the pope's effort to influence the 2012 US presidential elections, please note the NCR comment and crosslinks under the comment heading, "POPE: VOTE REPUBLICAN !" , accessible by clicking on at
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/what-about-catholic-republicans .
For more information on the trial baloon to get KC's Finn to cut a deal and resign, please note the NCR comment under the comment heading, "WHY ONLY FINN?", accessible by clicking on at
http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/law-expert-us-bishops-should-pe... .
For more information on the major criminal complaint pending against Bevilaqua's and Rigali's Secretary in Philly, please note the recent NCR editorial and related comments, accessible by clicking on at
http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/philadelphia-urgently-needs-tru... .
For more information on the criminal complaint at the International Criminal Court against the Roman clique, including the pope, alleging a worldwide cover-up of rapes of innocent children by priests, please note the NCR comment heading , "POPE IN HANDCUFFS?", accessible by clicking on at
http://ncronline.org/blogs/all-things-catholic/blessing-vatican-really-d... .
For more information about how the priest child abuse crisis is only one consequence of our unnecessary and unChristian coercive Church hierarchical structure, as well as some positive developments that may change that soon, please see the NCR comments under the comment headings, "THE RCC: MIGHT OR RIGHT?" and "RELIABLE HISTORY" , accessible by clicking on at
http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/who-made-decisions-church-through-y... .
Dear folks reading and
Dear folks reading and commenting on Sister Maureen's excellent evaluations: Justice4pakids needs your help! Sister is one of our founding members! We are the grassroots effort to create awareness to the 2 current house bills 878 and 832 here in PA. We also help raise money for the Foundation to Abolish Child Sex Abuse. We direct victims to places of healing and offer them comfort. We offer the general public seminars on how to talk to your kids about sex abuse, signs to look for, etc. If you are interested in our efforts and would like to join us in the uphill battle THAT MUST BE WON to protect the innocent and silenced children in our great state of PA please go to our website. Please go on our facebook page. Please tell us how you want to help. We have various efforts going on all the time! Thanks! Maureen Martinez -- co-founder, Justice4pakids
PHILLY'S ARTHUR, RIP!
PHILLY'S ARTHUR, RIP! ....... Philly's Catholics are still reeling daily from the nonstop revelations about the current US center of clerical child sex abuse and episcopal cover-ups. But even the shell-shocked Philly Catholics have had to take a deep breathe and wipe their tears at the just reported tragic story of Arthur, as told by his grief striken Philly police detective father. All NCR readers should stop and read Arthur's compelling story at Catholics4Change.com, accessible by clicking on at
http://catholics4change.com/2011/10/25/what-if-this-was-your-son-a-heart...
Tell it like it is, Sister!
Tell it like it is, Sister! Our Archbishop in Atlanta, Wilton Gregory, a major player in developing the charter to protect children, won't even reveal the names of his advisory board members. We can have no idea of what is going on, other than the occasional story of clerical misbehavior that hits the headlines. This despite an Archdiocesan promise of openness and transparency.
Sister Maureen for Pope!
Sister Maureen for Pope!
Sister, can you name one
Sister, can you name one child who was molested by a priest or bishop in 2011? The great majority of U.S. Catholics understand that this was a tragedy, but we also understand that it has been over for some time now. We are not interested in vengeance, even under the guide of justice, or in cash settlements that take funding away from programs for the poor. We are interested in moving forward in faith. When will you be satisfied?
I used to think that being
I used to think that being called to the priest hood was a vocation call from God (one that in my youth I considered closely). But looking at the very fallible men who have and do occupy this vocation I have come to the conclusion that is no more or less just one of the many choices available to a man: accountant, social worker, priest etc. What I am interested in is not so much the ancient history but in demanding changes in the institution and power structure that allowed this to happen. The argument (not one that I am convinced of) that the number of priest who were/are sexual abusers is no more than in the general population is no comfort at all when you consider that this was supposed to be not just a special calling from God but also one that put the man through an intense and focused process of training, education and evaluation before ordination followed by more oversight and evaluation after. And then to have a hierarchy that is more concerned with its institutional reputation than with caring for its flock infuriates me. I wonder how these Bishops had the nerve to stand up yesterday and read the gospel: Mt 23:1–12.
Maybe seminarians get an
Maybe seminarians get an intense and focused process of training, education, and evaluation today, but that was not true in my day. We were trained to be priests, not to be celibate. Celibacy was discussed only after we had made a vow to celibacy through our ordination to the subdiaconate. We were pulled out of ordinary life, set like plants on a shelf, force fed for as much as twelve years, treated like boys, and then we were expected to march out as leaders of men (and women...even though we hardly knew what that was about).
Hopefully this has changed.
Well, it ain't over till it's
Well, it ain't over till it's over, Maggie! Ten years ago, Archbishop Gregory tried to convince the media that "it's over," but his colleagues Bishop Finn and Monsignor Lynn tell us that "it ain't over," beyond a reasonable doubt.
Sister Turlish's article documents the lack of good faith and fair dealing on the part of our bishops and the USCCB, as well as an alarming lack of credibility and integrity.
Yes, we must and will "move on," but not as a happy church with unshakeable trust in its leadership, much less with "religious submission of mind and will" to their pronouncements, or yours.
IMO, most bishops are just
IMO, most bishops are just businessmen in roman collars.
Yes! And like the worst
Yes! And like the worst businessmen, it is all about the money!
Having read the primary
Having read the primary sources,
I think the problem in Finn's
case is that he
needed MORE not less "management" experience.
A "businessman" might have responded better.
No crystal ball was necessary
No crystal ball was necessary in 2002 to foretell the simple story that our sanctimonious bishops would continue "Business as Usual," and mouth comforting and meaningless words of "Accountability and transparency," but in fact have no intention of fulfilling them. Since 2002, the many of them have tried "To push the envelope," with the judicial system, knowing full well that they will probably be able to retire and claim dementia before their sins of omission regarding Pedophile Priests catches up with them. From the very beginning of this crisis, many of us knew, including Sister Maureen Paul Turlish that bishops could not be expected to monitor their behaviors regarding priest pedophiles, much less the priest pedophiles. The Bishops' Norms didn't have any "Teeth!" There were no punishments in place for bishops, who simple ignored their own "Norms." The majority of us knew that the NORMS were simple another "Snow Job," craftily constructed to make the public think that they had things under control and would act like wise, godly, spiritual men! The cases of Bishops Flynn and Lynn highlight the alleged crimes of omission that may be found if other Grand Juries around the country were called in to investigate the big archdiocese. Hopefully, or I should say,
FINALLY, our judicial system will have the final say in both matters. I wonder what stories their Madison Avenue PR firms are going to come up with to cover their posteriors after this is all over......... Time will tell!
"No crystal ball was
"No crystal ball was necessary in 2002 to foretell the simple story that our sanctimonious bishops would continue "Business as Usual," and mouth comforting and meaningless words of "Accountability and transparency," but in fact have no intention of fulfilling them."
They are following the example of the popes - both the current pope and his predecessor. John Paul II never even tried to put up a show - he never so much as uttered even meaningless words of comfort to victims - his concern was exclusively for priests.
When this issue didn't go away on schedule, Benedict decided to try the "meaningless" words and gestures route - which he has done several times, complete with crocodile tears, whenever there has been enough media around, beginning with his US visit.
These meaningless words and gestures have been noted by the bishops, who correctly interpret them to mean, " business as usual." Since it is clear that neither Rome nor anyone in a chancery is willing to police themselves or their own in the hierarchy, the actions taken by the civil authorities in Philadelphia and Kansas City seem to be the only course available now. One cannot trust these "men of God" to act morally, truthfully, or honorably. As someone else noted, they are simply businessmen in Roman collars.
Maggie, I don't know if you
Maggie,
I don't know if you have ever talked with a survivor of sexual abuse by a priest, but I do think if you had you may change your tune. Let me tell you my story. I was not sexually abused by a priest, but by a sister. Yes, a vowed, religious woman. I entered the convent right after high school many years ago. I was young, naive and trusting. I was taught in the postulate and novitiate that the superior was God's representative on earth, that God spoke through her, that we were to obey her in all things without question. The example was: if the superior tells you to plant the plant upside down in the soil, do it without asking why. So, imagine my horror as a young sister when my superior came into my bedroom to get her sexual needs met using my body. There was no one I could turn to. She constantly reminded me that she was 13 years older than I, and that she was the superior. Translation: if you tell, whom do you think they will believe? So, I didn't tell. This went on almost nightly for two years until we were both transferred. By then I was seriously anorexic, weighing 90 lbs., deeply depressed and suicidal. Finally I went to a treatment center that treats only priests and sisters. There I found out, sadly, that I was not the only one to whom this had happened. Many other sisters had been sexually abused by another sister, most oftent the superior. I began to heal. To this day, however, I am on antidepressants and anti anxiety meds. I cannot sleep with my door closed at night so no one can sneak into my room, and I have to have a nightlight on. When I see a sister in habit, I tremble. I cannot go into church because of the flashbacks, etc. This abuse happened in the 1980's, but impacts my life now. Maybe you can "move on" but I, and so many other survivors cannot. No matter how hard we try to forget about what happened, it's always there lurking in the sidelines ready to trip us up. That's what PTSD is. It does not go away. As much as I would like to move on, my body won't let me. It still suffers from flashbacks and horrible nightmares from which I wake up screaming or curled up in a ball in a corner. No one has ever been held responsible for this abuse. Not the congrgation, (of which I am no longer a part) whick would prefer that I never existed. Not the diocese, which has wiped its hands of any accountability. So, this woman continues to molest innocent children and vulnerable adults because the congregation and the church have "just moved on." When will we be satisfied? When the leadership of the Catholic church and congregations finally DO something, TAKE ACTION to make sure this never happens to another person. That's when we will move on.
Well done for that honest and
Well done for that honest and moving testimony. It is people like yourself that make Sister Maureen and myself continue to confront those who consider themselves 'uncunfrontable'. Let the hierarchy continue to try and defend and excuse themselves and the abusers, what we are talking about here is indefensibe and inexcusable !
God bless you.
Gabe: Thank you for your
Gabe: Thank you for your story! My prayers for your deliverance from your abuses and fears are with you. One of my dear friends was molested by nuns in an orphanage in New Zealand. She was one of the stolen babies from Ireland. Her website is AnnFreeSpirit.com. She would be a great support. It's too bad that all nuns weren't like Sister Maureen Turlish. I have followed her writings for over 10 years now, and I wish that I could meet her. In our grade school, our good, holy, sanctimonious, self-righteous nuns enabled our Pedophile Priests to abuse their students. I wish that just one of them would have had Sister Maureen's principles and spiritual insight. If that had happened, we all would have been protected. Unfortunately, the Church is into "Protecting Her Own," particularly Her little "Brides of Christ." Your story was probably duplicated too many times to imagine, but it's rare that women will come out and confront their abusers. Thank you for being brave enough to do so.
Wow, Gabe, thanks for having
Wow, Gabe, thanks for having the courage to share that. Any form of clericalism is dangerous and abusive. Our Roman "power structure" is terribly in need of an overhaul, and laity and women need to be given equal authority. Until that happens, Catholics beware of this disfunctional system. Wake up! Catholic hierarchy is self-electing and self-absorbed. We have many sacred traditions in Catholicism, but the devil lurks with the saints!
Above all, stop putting money in their coffers until we are recognized as Church!
Gabe, I feel your pain! I
Gabe,
I feel your pain! I would like just one day without nightmares and panic attacks. Just one night of sound, uninterrupted sleep. I'm glad you told your story here, because it needs to be read by people.
From one victim to another, I hope you can heal and I stand with you in unity and I will do everything I can to prevent other children from ever experiencing what you and I, and so many others have. The world doesn't need more vacant souls, broken dreams, and damaged hearts.
It is far from over. The
It is far from over. The circumstances surrounding the Kansas City story show that abuse can still happen and that many bishops are pure organization men and have little real sympathy for the People of God. It may be reduced, but it is not over. Not as long as bishops protect the guilty and ignore the abused, and as long as they continue to fight to deny justice rather than fighting FOR justice. Individually, they pass the buck and try to hinder proper legal investigations. Collectively, they are spineless; A few true "leaders" could certainly take the initiative and get all the bishops in line with what is right and moral. Until that happens, and we see bishops who no longer act is if they are above and beyond the law (whether civic or moral), it will not be over.
What amazes me the most is that they even think they are fooling anyone except themselves. The great majority of Catholics DO understand this is a tragedy, of immense proportions, but the bishops seem to be concerned only with protecting their own reputations. Someone should clue them in: IT IS TOO LATE.
Sadly Maggie, the victims do
Sadly Maggie, the victims do not "get over it" when it is convenient or expected". Until the Church demonstrates a more compassionate and less hostile attitude towards the victims, then and only then will genuine healing and reconciliation begin. If I may, I suggest you examine what has transpired in the dioceses of Kansas City and Philadelphia to clearly show this crisis in not over until there is honesty and transparency by our bishops and diocesan leaders. We are all interested in "moving forward" but not at the cost of silencing the victims cries for justice or the appeal to the truth in our Church leadership.
What you don't seem to
What you don't seem to understand is that in order to 'move on', as you put it, there has to be proper closure from the situation from which you have to 'move on'. For one moment you should put yourself in the shoes of abused victims; don't you understand that they just can't 'move on' and thank God they have people like Sister Maureen to be a voice for them. At the end of the day the hierarchy of the church from top to bottom, are only interested in their own credibility, such as it is,; they have no interest in victims.
Dear Apostle of the Lord,
Dear Apostle of the Lord, Perhaps it is time to move on. This sickness exhibited in criminal acts has been around since the beginning of time and is prevalent in both males and females. All religions, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and innumerable other groups have shown themselves over the years and continue to do so. Imploring God to intervine will help and we all should pray together.
Nope, you are not going to
Nope, you are not going to get away with the old 'everybody else does it so let's just get over it'. Only Catholicism claims to be directly descended from Christ and to speak in His voice. Not the boy scouts or girl scouts or all religions. Only Catholicism claims it's clergy is ontologically different from mere humans by virtue of ordination. Those two things are either true or they are not. If they are true, then the presence of child sexual predators amongst Catholic clergy is an abomination...period. The purposeful cover up of this abomination, by bishops who claim direct descent from the Apostles, is as great an abomination.
If the above mentioned points aren't true then the clerical system is nothing more than one big fat delusion and it's time Catholics dumped the system. I strongly suspect that time is coming. Abuse survivors will have played a huge and valuable part in bring this 'dumping' to fruition. At that point there will be some real truth and justice.
Maggie What a closed mind you
Maggie
What a closed mind you have. The sad fact is that it takes many years before most victims will ever come forward. That is the reason most perps are able to get away with the Sexual Abuse of Children, they know we don,t come forward when it is happening to us. This is far from over.
Maggie please take your blinders off and come join us. We could use your help to protect children from Sexual Abuse.
Tom
You are tremendously nieve if
You are tremendously nieve if you think that the bad priests have stopped offending. You are also tremendously nieve if you think that the "good bishops" are not still covering up for them. That said, I know we have many good priests out there who are aware of abuses but are afraid to speak up. A little courage in speaking out about this would be greatly appreciated.
That is one of the tragedies
That is one of the tragedies of the Bishop Finn story. While he dilly-dallied in turning the abuser in to proper authorities (for at least 5 months and perhaps as much as 12 months), the abuser molested at least one other child. This happened just during the past 12 months. No, it's not over yet. No, the bishops still don't get it.
If we find one priest or
If we find one priest or bishop that did molest a child in 2011, will you be less naive than you presently are?
You are very naive to think
You are very naive to think that in 2011 there are no clergy abusing innocent children. Moving forward means Philly following all grand jury report recomendations. So far, the Archdiocese has not done that.
Maggie Tomlinson, Can you
Maggie Tomlinson,
Can you name one child who hasn't been molested by a priest or bishop in 2011?
I don't think you can, because sadly we will never know which kids have been molested in the recent past or the children being molested in the present because 99% of childhood sexual abuse victims will not speak up for many years and even decades about the abuse. Furthermore, less than 8% of CSA victims will ever report the abuse to law enforcement, or even talk about it for that matter.
I spent my entire childhood being sexually and physically victimized by men - Catholic priests. It took me 20+ years to finally come forward and report the abuse to the DA's office in Philadelphia three years ago. I have protested outside of your churches, schools, Archdiocese Headquarters, and other Catholic owned buildings. I've been called a "gold digger and a liar." I've been told to "get a life," and to "go f#ck myself," from parish priests and "good Catholic parishioners." I've been threatened and physically assaulted for standing up to the Catholic Church with the intention of standing up for innocent kids. Tell me, why do I have to go through all of this to protect your kid?
After I reported to law enforcement the abuse, I came to find out that one of the priests who abused me had "credible" allegations of abuse against him stemming from 25 years prior to my ever coming in contact with the creature. The Catholic Church had every opportunity to STOP this evil from perpetuating itself further and ruining more lives, but instead it chose to lie about him, hide him, and allow him to rape more kids.
This is the kind of evil that is being defended everyday by people who don't get it, and sadly and more importantly, people who don't want to get it.
Shame on you for believing in men who have done nothing but lie to you in the past.
By the way, "a 46-year old unnamed priest in Salzgitter, Germany, has been arrested and indicted on 267 counts of child sexual abuse, involving at least three boys over a seven-year period." The abuse took place over a 7 year period, which was "after" the Vatican put a so-called policy in place to protect kids. Good luck with your Kool-Aid!
"...can you name one child
"...can you name one child who was molested by a priest or bishop in 2011?"
Given the pattern of reportage/obstruction of justice/prosecution/litigation thus far:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Catholic_sex_abuse_cases_by_country
I would imagine that we shall learn of the 2011 cases in about ten years.
Maggie Tomlinson, you are
Maggie Tomlinson, you are wrong. NO, it is not over and never will be,I am afraid, not just by the clergy. Yes, there have been reports recently, but I do not have time to collect them. I am sure somebody has the links to the latest credible accusations.
No child has the courage to come out with this dramatic experience, way into adulthood. This is verified by psychologists.
Sometimes we _need_ to keep
Sometimes we _need_ to keep remembrance. Crucifixion is a terror of the past, but every day Catholics obey Christ in our partaking of Eucharist. Yes, we want the easy route of moving forward so we can never, ever think of a Holocaust again; or slavery, etc.
We keep pictures and rituals of our good memories to make present our loved ones. The bad needs to be evident, too, because in our human frailty _someone_ will always be, at the least, stupid, or evil.
Also, Catholics are a "first of many, many brothers" facing sexual molestation of children. If there is to be change in every sector of the globe..in cultures, professions, within families and schools, we need to willingly embrace this cross and prove to the world that it is an unexceptable sin. We need to set this standard. I believe Catholics are a middle "brother" that some day, some how will effect justice and peace.
Another also...headlines and newscasts and court settlements or treaties do not necessarily make things "over." Victims live with their wounds forever..as do their families and society as a whole because the remaining dysfunction is a poverty that the healthy end up carrying.
Just some things to consider...
Regrettably Maureen it is all
Regrettably Maureen it is all too obvious that we have a Church in this country without heroic leadership and prophetic witness. I have yet to see a bishop, priest or deacon take a position that challenges the leadership of the Church in the United States to be more transparent and honest in regards to the issue of sexual abuse cases in the Church at large. The days of Father Groppi, the Berrigans et al are far gone....when someone feels 'enough is enough', then maybe credibility will once again come to the Roman collar. Until then, every priest unfortunately, is either silent or "too busy" due to fear or possible retribution. Someone, anyone needs to stand up and be counted to remove the dark cloud of suspicion and distrust that hovers over every cleric within the Catholic Church in America.
The silence is deafening! Is it only the religious women and the laity who are enraged by the conduct in Kansas City and Philadelphia? I cannot believe that ALL of the priests have become "company" men.
Maggie Tomlinson, Several
Maggie Tomlinson,
Several children in Kansas were victimized in 2011 by Shawn Ratigan, a priest who worked under Bishop Finn. Their names are being withheld for the sake of their privacy and that of their parents and because some parishoners would persecute them for reporting Ratigan's crime and for pursuing a lawsuit, which will hopefully serve as motivation for bishops to obey their own contractural agreements with parents in the future and deterrent to the usual unethical deceptive behaviors we have seen from these bishops who keep hiding and moving offenders until they (bishops and priest-offenders) are caught!
Can someone please explain
Can someone please explain how it is that, state by state, bishops lobbying groups influence legislation, and yet this institution that calls itself a chuch pays no taxes? I don't understand how this is allowed to continue.
The fact that the bishops of our country involve themselves in preventing legislation that will protect children from being molested is a drum that must beat louder and louder. Perhaps Bishop Dolan can explain how and why this happens.
Whoever these bishops are, they are not priests of Our Lord Jesus, and folks have to start asking themselves what they are doing on altars. These are powerful men who do the work of darkness.
Many thanks to Sister Maureen for her prophetic witness.
aw
Augusta, I have long wondered
Augusta,
I have long wondered the same thing.
It is especially disturbing when one considers what Christ himself said . .
"Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's"
- GOD's WORD as it is found in Matt. 22:21
Augusta the Bishops lobbying
Augusta the Bishops lobbying arms, the State Conferences in each state, located in the individual States Capitol, can legally lobby on behalf of their Non Profit entity. United Way does it and so do many other charitable organizations.
The question is not so much whether the Church is tax exempt, but rather WHAT IT IS THE CATHOLIC CONFERENCES ARE LOBBYING ABOUT?
Many years ago I worked with a Bishops STATE Conference on social welfare legislation ...and the poor were significantly helped.
However, since the emergence the molestation scandals, much state Catholic Conference focus has been to protect the Church, read Church assets, from further exposure to law suits. Catholic Conferences throughout the nation, very much under the radar screen, have done their level best to eliminate Statute of Limitations extensions, ie opening up a window so that for a period of one or two years, a victim of abuse can come forth and have his or her day in court. It often takes abuse victims many years to be able to be emotionally ready to speak up and very often, when they are....ready to speak up, state law is shut down for them unless these SOL windows are opened up. Sister has pointed out that even with the legislative window open, the burden to prove the abuse is on the plaintiff and is difficult to establish.
The bishops have also been using their State Conference lobbying arms to minimize or eviscerate mandatory clergy reporting requirements...so clergy are not obliged to report abuse situations. Missouri has such clergy reporting laws, Bishop Finn has been indicted and charged accordingly for failure to report for many months after he was apprised of Fr? Ratigans extensive porn computer collection. If this situation had occurred in a state without such clergy reporting requirements, we would not be talking about KC.
I have thought for the longest time that just as we have Abuse Tracker, we really need a Bishop Legal Tracker, where one could access the political games these guys are playing.
you need to read a book
you need to read a book called Render Unto Rome and Justice Denied-- then it will be very clear
Sr. Maureen: You wrote:
Sr. Maureen:
You wrote:
"While no bishop in the United States has ever been held criminally responsible for facilitating or enabling the sexual exploitation of a child, they have cut deals to avoid prosecution in a number of jurisdictions. Bishops have left known sexual predators in ministry, transferred them around a diocese, to other dioceses and even out of the country in attempts to protect a religious institution's image rather than the children, who are its most vulnerable members and about whom Jesus speaks so often in the gospels."
Though it doesn't say so specifically, the inference here is that these actions have taken place since the 2002 Charter. If true, that would be an abomination; however, you as the writer have a duty to offer some specfics, i.e bishops and dioceses where these actions have taken place. Other than the single instance of Bishop Finn, can you cite other examples? If you cannot, or do not, then this is just a broad smear against the hierarchy, and an unjust one at that. My assertion is in no way a defence of Bishop Finn, or the poor response of the bishops during the abuse crisis. I only ask that you offer some facts or statistics to support your claim that this covering up activity of the hierarchy has continued since the 2002 Charter.
Frank, Haven't you been in
Frank,
Haven't you been in this country? You completely ignore Philadelphia!
Frank, I give you Bp. Daniel
Frank, I give you Bp. Daniel Walsh of Santa Rosa.
And here is the story of his alleged crime in 2006.
Then, of course there's Philly.
Perhaps before you tell Maureen of her "duty" as a writer you might realize your own duty as a Catholic to actually become informed?
In June in 2003, Bishop
In June in 2003, Bishop Obrien, Phoenix, Arizona, advoided indictment for a felony charge of obstruction of justice. He had admitted that he had concealed sexual abuse of children,...A deal was struck by prosecutors where he would remove himself from all related decision making concerning these issues.
I think there were three more relatively recent similar situations where deals were cut with the bishops.
There has been a pattern of prosecutorial light handedness with bishops that needs to end. Bishop Finn is a case in point and Msgr Lynn in Philadelphia, indicted and charged with felonies of Conspiracy and Reckless Endangerment, may well be the tectonic shift that so long overdue.
Sister, you paint an ugly
Sister, you paint an ugly picture. The Dallas Charter, is full of holes, bishops self report what they choose to, to civil authorities, or to their own annual accountability system. The bishops through their state conference lobbying arms sabotage State laws on Statute of Limitations extension and mandated clergy reporting requirements in whatever state they can, currently in PA.
Local bishops appoint Lay Review Boards that are a sham. Again PA is a case in point, with 21 'suspended priests' whose records AB Chaput is "reviewing". These preists may well be returned to their parishes...because 'the bishop' says they are OK, even if an independent board found the accusations against them credible.
The folks in PA are asking the very germane question when seeing a list of these 21 suspended priests names, on a C4C blog site...."Would you want your child or grandchild anywhere near any of the for more than two seconds? "
When will the hierarchy "get it" ?
10/31/11 Whither Ecclesia? A
10/31/11
Whither Ecclesia?
A Cri du Coeur
Long lines of red robed men,
Longer lines in violet, successors of an older day,
Assure of certitude, goodwill.
I would they are attempting good,
Would their hearts are cleansed,
But doubt it now for many.
Those caught in lying prove
Cerebral lacks
Or venal love of intrigue – and
Strong-willed men, -
Well schooled in mental reservation -
Disprove trustworthiness.
But facts are known today
‘Most fast as lightning moves -
Do they not see?
There is no hiding place.
So Cleo will have her way
In the end.
And we will know the truth -
Or most of it.
These men in red – where is their shame?
“Make no attempt to divulge
Because,” (it’s claimed),
“ The Church’s non-existent lacks would show.”
In truth they hide their own deficiencies.
And they know it.
As do we.
And they know we know.
Will they not care - will they not see - this scandal
Shreds us all, impales our hearts, breaks many.
But,
Like Richelieu, and the baker’s son, Ottaviani
(Surely each in Nico’s grasp), Niccolo Machiavelli
They plot to have their gray way,
Enforce their regulated lovelessness,
Ignoring threads which one by one unravel -
In shroudings’ pestilent secrets.
Do they circle, banning others, blessing hands upraised -
Proclaiming absolution, asking grace,
One for another,
Ignoring suffering of the young
Crushed in cups of self-indulgence.
Do they undervalue truth or
Need for honesty?
God’s own heart readings
Require amendment.
Ignoring grief of faith’s believers –
And their loss of trust –
This unmoves them,
Was it ever thus?
Few in princes’ robes now own
True admiration or respect,
(Though many bow and say it’s so
To force some other craving –
Power, gold, head table places
Or shield ‘gainst fear of Righteous Sight.)
Of the few
True-hearted now - wholeness seeking still,
‘Mongst these men in mitered hats -
Do any live within the center’s
Battlements of self-preserve?
Saints-mystic lead our way now.
Whose ‘broidered stories
Still serve churchy needs -
Truth’s full service - o’erlooked in part -
By partiality.
Ends justifying all.
When, Lord, will you send
Another to reform us,
Both the angry and distraught -
In this our troubled, broken church?
When send one with strength to see,
To make us one again?
How can, how will such be picked
By men in red and white?
Only a stream of Light can make it so.
Only a Force which cannot be vanquished.
Only a Love we long to trust.
Rush in, revive us, Domine.
Outward signs and saints maintain us.
Hope for felt and
Earthy needs.
But conveyed by human men,
Who claim humanity beneath them.
But
They and we from humus shaped,
From God’s life and love were
Quickened. Are quickened.
Still.
Can we dare - Dare we hope -
Dare we hope again?
Dare we not?
Great article Sister. I agree
Great article Sister. I agree with you and feel that it is the pinnacle of hypocrisy for our Bishops to waste time and resource fighting the statute of limitations rollbacks. They are not being fully truthful again, they know there are more cases out there.
The sad thing is that the Church never defended any of the men accused. They all went to settlement with a few exceptions. Any accusation resulted in settlement. Why? Because they were all guilty. The Church has made it very clear they will not protect children, they will not protect parishoners and now with so many attempting to liquidate assets they are making it very clear they will not protect parish infrastructure. They will only protect each other and priests.
Enough is enough. In this country they will obey the Law. As a Catholic I wholeheartedly endorse our law enforcement agencies to bring the full force of our judicial system to bear on the lack of accountability, transparency and compliance.
Time's up, these Bishop's have burned through all their credibility and integrity (that they individually inherited, never earned) and now the Truth needs to be obtained, with their permissions or without. May the people of God unite and use our sjills and talents to rid the vile evil that has tainted our Church. We don't need Bishop's to take leadership, they just need to get out of the way.
The situation in Delware is
The situation in Delware is different than described in the column. Because of the 2 year window, cases from decades ago were dredged up. Statutes of Limitations are there for good reason: memories fade, or even forgotten over time. Eveidence is lost. All this law did in Delaware was force the CDOW into bankruptcy and have to settle for $77 M to emerge from bankruptcy. I fail to see where suspending the statue of limitations helped make children safer today.
The lifting of statue of
The lifting of statue of limitations may or may not have made children safer today but for those who had suffered (were still suffering) it meant an enormous amount that their stories were heard and taken seriously. For at least some of them the cloud that had ruined their lives was at least partially dispersed and redovery hopefully begun.
Nick...."Cases from decades
Nick...."Cases from decades ago were dredged up." .....That's absolutely right. Children molested by clergy don't rush forth and assert their civil rights. Typically, and this is noted in the recent John Jay Report, commissioned by the bishops, victims of abuse take many many years of shame and pain to get to a place where they are ABLE to speak up. Many never get there.
And if there is a SOL window open to them, they face, as plaintiffs, many problems in establishing their civil suit. The burden of proof is theirs. They have to prove their case.
As to making children safer today, let's take yet another look at PA, and especially Philadelphia, because it is so profoundly egregious, and current. 21 'suspended' priests' were named in a Catholics4Change website today. There are four more priests who are criminally charged with rape and the fourth priest, a diocesan administrator is charged with counts of Conspiracy and Reckless Endangerment. There are other priests who have been mentioned in the recent devastating Grand Jury 2011 report, as well and apparently there were 63 priests mentioned in the 2005 report.
If victims are able to, in court, to identify their abusers, many of whom appear to still be hanging around parishes in PA, THEN parents and other concerned persons can protect their children. And that's right NOW, that we are talking about!
Victims groups are adamant about protecting future kids from the hellish experiences they have gone through. Catholics4Change in today's blog has some very useful input from victims and from Sr Maureen. You or other readers might want to take a look!
Well, don't you think that
Well, don't you think that dioceses paying out millions makes them a little quicker and more alert to potential abuse cases? Afterall, in most places the law didn't send bishops and priests to jail for their crimes --- the justice system just had to settle for "fines".
Children are safer today
Children are safer today because the church knows it can no longer hide from this. In the past victims had very little time in which to seek justice. The church now knows that victims will be able to come forward at any time.
The RCC has always been prepared to pay out millions of dollars in claims, that is why they have insurance to cover those cases.
They just choose to gamble that us 1000s of victims would never find the power to come forward. There are now 7 generations of Survivors out there most of who have never told a soul about the abuse they suffered.
Let's all stand together and ....... Teach The Children To Never Hide In The Silence
victims DO NOT forget so
victims DO NOT forget so don't bother with that argument. Of the 50 victims I have spoken to-- mostly NOT clergy abused but abused by family-- they SUPRESS and try to think the abuse never happened. The average age a person can talk about their abuse in age 42. They spend DECADES TRYING to block it out and never can. By age 42, many of them are self medicating on drugs and alcohol, have had so many failed jobs or relationships and want a shot at a better life so badly-- they are brave enough to face the demons of the abuse, talk about it, get therapy, etc. And then they find the court room doors are totally closed to them- there is not even a chance they can be opened due to SOL. They do not have the CHOICE. Aren't we suppose to live in a free country where we have CHOICES?
Maureen Martinez
Justice4pakids.com
Bps Bruskewitz and Vasa do
Bps Bruskewitz and Vasa do not believe in the part of the Norms that requires the education of Catholic children as to what is and is not an inappropriate touch. They believe that is solely up to the parents. Then they use that objection to forbid ANY AND ALL auditing of their compliance with the rest of the Norms. Not only are they allowed to get away with it, but Vasa just got promoted to the Santa Rosa Diocese, of all places.
A Bishop Legal Tracker would
A Bishop Legal Tracker would be a marvellous thing. It is long past time for these bishops to be held accountable for all their corrupt involvements in the legislative realm.
The hatred of women and children is palpable with these men calling themselves bishops, these men who continue to lobby against the rights of children, so as to protect their pedophile colleagues.
I will donate time to an organization which begins to track the bishops corrupt involvement in state legislation. I imagine there are many of us who would donate time to stop these bishops' criminal shenanigans.
AW
Nick, any action taken that
Nick, any action taken that forces perpetrators or their enablers to pay a price for their actions helps ensure kids'safety by sending a clear message: you will be held accountable if you molest a kid or enable the offender to get away. It's a matter of justice.
What common sense dictates is
What common sense dictates is not a change in the laws that allow for civil suits against the Catholic church - this would lead to the pillaging of the church as the Bishops so fear. What common sense has cried out for is for criminal statute of limitations to change. Victims of abuse and their attorneys have advocated for civil statutes to change to allow for sueing the church for monetary damages. The Church has fought this, as well as fighting the removal of the criminal statute of limitations for both the pedophile priests and the criminal statute of limitation on reporting child sexual abuse that would hold Bishops and Cardinals responsible for reporting the sexual abuse immediately instead of running out the statute of limitations. Running out the statute of limitations on criminal procedures has worked wonderfully in protecting negligent Bishops from going to jail for failure to report.
Again, I repeat, it is the civil suits protected by civil statutes we now see that is indeed bankrupting the church and destroying ministries, including the ministries of both non-offending priests and the laity, not to mention the millions who suffered because of the loss of those same ministries. The victims of abuse have always claimed the civil suits allowed them to expose to the public the names of pedophile priests so the public could shelter their children. These lawsuits have forced the Bishops to withdraw many of these priests from ministry and stop further abuse as a protected cleric, but not abuse as a former cleric.
The civil lawsuits have never forced the pedophile priest to go to prison. The civil suits have not gotten pedophile priests removed from society and stopping them from abusing whether as a priest or former priest. The civil lawsuits have never held responsible the Bishops who aided and abetted the pedophile priests by not reporting them to secular authorities. The consequence of not holding Bishops and pedophile priests criminally responsible has lead to the further abuse of children.
Why are not pedophile priests held criminally liable and sent to jail? The criminal statute of limitation is short in most states, doesn't allow for prosecution and no one had been advocating for those statutes to change, certainly not the Church, or victim's lawyers. Why haven't more Bishops served time in prison for failing to report a pedophile priest? Because the Bishops have successfully run out the statute of limitations on reporting, usually less than 3 years in most states after the crime has been committed.
The policy of the church has been to protect the Bishops from serving time in prison, even if it costs the church the reputation of good priests, cost the church billions of dollars that could have maintained charity to the poorest of the poor, and even if it meant more children were raped. It has always been about protecting the Bishops from going to jail for failure to report. The 2002 Dallas Charter was designed to give the Bishops a clean slate to work with, promising to cooperate with police in the future. The 2002 Dallas Charter was never about justice for past crimes committed by clerics, it was about protecting Bishops from going to jail for those same past crimes.
Yes, the Bishops have fought tooth and nail to keep the criminal statute of limitations minimal on reporting child sexual abuse, and to keep themselves exempt under the seal the confessional. Lawyers representing the victims haven't cared about the criminal statues, because they have wanted money. Victims may have been satified with a change in the criminal laws, but have known it was impossible to prove sexual abuse years after the crime occurred. Most of them have settled for monetary damages (civil) and ignored the criminal aspects. What does the laity and the general public want?
I say putting in place criminal statutes would force a jury trial for both the pedophile priests and for Bishops and stop the monetary payouts years after the crime which is hurting good priests and the laity. The monetary payouts haven't stopped pedophiles from finding new victims as they are not in jail. It has only ruined the reputations of honest priests and stopped legitimate church charity from occurring around the world. The civil suits have exposed a corrupt hierarchy, and revealed the names of abusing priests, but at what price???? Removing the criminal statutes would have served the public far better, than removing the civil statutes.
Why aren't we having a honest discussion of this????
A criminal "window" was
A criminal "window" was passed in California, and a number of convictions were obtained. They were all overturned on appeal, once the law was found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
I find the argument about taking dollars away that "destroy ministries" to be specious. Compensation to abuse victims who were wronged is an obligation. It's a bill that needs paying. Those monies aren't used frivilously... they
go to pay for therapy, feed and educate children who've maybe not had all the advantages they'd have had if their parent hadn't been struggling with the aftermath of abuse, and so on.
I have to pay my electric bill, my mortgage, and such-like obligations before I can even think of donating money to charitable causes. I don't get to tell the power company and the bank that I'm going to not pay them to use the money for "Child Fund." It's kind of the same for the monies the Church, either legally or morally, owes to its institutional victims in order to make them whole.
Abuse survivors are impoverished; they are ill. And they got that way through the actions of the Church and its employees. They should be first in line.
Good job G Bullough! I am so
Good job G Bullough!
I am so tired of hearing that abuse victims are greedy and hurt the Church with their civil claims!!!!
It's the rant of the Catholic League.
You have done a beautiful job of prioritizing fiscal responsibility.....if the Church has severely damaged victims, the Church has moral FIRST responsibility to make serious amends! Before funding other programs.
I think part of the problem is that the Church doesn't respect the victims, they are a serious fiscal inconvenience, that needs to be avoided with laws that limit victims access to statute of limitations windows. The Church attempts to protect clergy, by lobbying in those State Catholic Conferences so that clergy are not required to report abuse. The Vatican is thoroughly complicit, giving the bishops a nominal "reporting" pass in the Dallas Charter...at the Vaticans direction........the "reporting norms" were not "essential" ie, bishops who did not report would not suffer Vatican repercussions.
It's just so sick.
My theory on all of this is
My theory on all of this is that it doesn't "feel good" to pay abuse survivors to make them whole.
"Pagan babies" with sunken cheeks and looking up with big eyes are "feel
good" social justice.
Community centers (named after a prominent clergyman) are "feel good"
charity.
It's even less of a "feel good" when it's court-mandated because on top of that, someone, a lay someone, is telling a bishop or superior general what he (or she) has to do. That really goes against the grain.
When someone commits a
When someone commits a murder, the victim's family doesn't have to sue the murderer to get justice. We have criminal statute of limitations that in most states are unlimited for murder. Society as whole, wants the murderer tried before a jury and put in prison if found guilty even if decades after the murder occurred, for the sole purpose of prevent future murders.
Wake up! If there were no criminal statutes on the books in most states, a child molester could be tried and imprisoned decades after the crimes. This would protect children from being molested as it imprisions the molester. The same criminal laws would apply to anyone who knows about child molesting and fails to report, ie., Bishops. They too would be held to criminal law and locked up.
The big church payouts are coming because the 1) church leadership committed acts of negligence in not reporting the abuse. 2) if the church authorities had acted to protect the children and not the priests, the victims of abuse would not have any legal argument to hold the institutional church responsible. Instead the victims would have to bring a civil suit against the individual priest for damages, which of course would be for naught as most have no personal wealth. To get monetary damages from the church, the victims must prove, the church authorites covered up the abuse, not just that they were abused.
We are in this huge monetary settlements because 1) there are no criminal statute of limitations to imprision anyone, perpretrator who committed the acts or church authorities who covered it up when the crimes surfaced decades later 2) the church is paying out major settlements because church authorities knew they covered up the crimes and sheltered the abusing priests 3) none of the bishops want to testify in a court of law and risk being held criminally liable for not reporting (the statute on reporting runs when the state becomes aware of the crime, rather than when the crime actually occurred). In other other words, the Bishops don't want to go to jail for failure to report, so they are one by one settling out of court.
It is jail time that the Bishops have avoided for themselves that is at the bottom of the churches policy to pay out huge out of court settlements and then declare bankruptcy. The policy of the church is to protect Bishops at all costs from going to jail. It's all about the Bishops, not the children, not the pedophiles, not the laity, not the lawyers, and not the victims....it is all about the Bishops avoiding jail time for the crime of covering up sexual abuse.
Thank you for the article,
Thank you for the article, Sister Maureen. Separation of church and state? Accountability and transparency for the bishops? Only when convenient.
Anonymous wrote: "Why are not
Anonymous wrote:
"Why are not pedophile priests held criminally liable and sent to jail? . . . Why haven't more Bishops served time in prison for failing to report a pedophile priest? Because the Bishops have successfully run out the statute of limitations on reporting, usually less than 3 years in most states after the crime has been committed.. . . Why aren't we having a honest discussion of this????"
You are to be commended for your candor. These indeed are the burning questions.
Perhaps we've all been operating under the misguided notion that all are equal under the law. Perhaps there is a privileged class of citizens after all. Perhaps therein lies the answer!
Again . . the question that Augusta Wynn posed above remains unanswered as well!
"Can someone please explain how it is that, state by state, bishops lobbying groups influence legislation, and yet this institution that calls itself a church pays no taxes? I don't understand how this is allowed to continue."
Back to that church lobbying
Back to that church lobbying question and tax exempt status. Churches organized under the IRS 501c3 status primarily, one hopes, perform charitable deeds. They will lose their tax exempt status if the cost of legislative lobbying, through those State Conference lobbying arms exceeds a formula based on the total Church evaluation versus the cost of lobbying.
You can make book on the fact that those diocesan attorneys have carefully assessed these matters.
In many states there is a Fair Political Practices unit that keeps records of lobbyists, their salaries, their contributions, how much and to whom. You might want to check out your States CAtholic Conference, salaries, et al.
Sr. Maureen says the church
Sr. Maureen says the church was not pillaged in Delaware. She is, at the least, misleading. The $77M settlement forced the closure of the Catholic Diocese Foundation, which assisted parishes and schools for decades with financial help for building and maintenance projects, operating costs, etc. The foundation basically kept St. Paul's School afloat, and after the settlement announcement, the school announced it was closing. Also, 19 diocesan employees lost their jobs. These are 19 non-priests who did nothing except come to work everyday.
She also says that in states where legislation allowing civil suits has been proposed, the Catholic Church has been at the forefront in opposing it. Not completely true. When New York's legislation was amended a few years ago to make sure it included public schools and other public institutions, the state's municipalities killed its chances of passage, not the bishops.
Sr. Maureen does a lot of good work, but she should be absolutely truthful when laying out "facts" like she does.
Also, Msgr. Lynn and the others facing charges in Philadelphia are innocent until proven guilty. They are still Americans with the same rights as anyone else.
And of course she continues
And of course she continues to call women religious to accountability! I wonder why?
Canon Law . . a legal
Canon Law . . a legal framework instituted and implemented by the RCC to render themselves above the law . .
Those who have sought to hold the RC "church" accountable, both within and without, and who have pressed for true reform vis a vis the matter of mandatory reporting of allegations of sex abuse of minors must go further and examine the root of the problem which lies in Canon law. Until Canon law is uprooted, there will be more revelations of cover-ups and more heinous abuses of children by clergy.
So long as the self-serving policies of the Roman Catholic “church” are in force which have been implemented to protect the image of the church and designed to deter any criticism whatsoever by “the faithful” of the church hierarchy, these crimes will persist. At its' very heart, this is anti-Christian!
The welfare and well-being of children must not be sacrificed on the altar of self-preservation. I am a former Roman Catholic, and as such, am at liberty to speak freely in these matters. Indeed . . speaking out in the face of such evil is a moral imperative!
Consider the words of Richard Sipe:
Article: PEDOPHILIA & CELIBACY
/March 18, 2010 / Link: http://www.richardsipe.com/Mis...
· Mental Reservation can be used as a justification of what an ordinary person would label an outright lie; bishops consider the law of the Church to supercede civil laws and that the oath of obedience to the pope and the Church is superior to any mundane demand. Multiple depositions of cardinals and bishops demonstrate this maneuver—black on white court documents.[9]
As Thomas Patrick Doyle has said:
89. “The leaders of the Catholic Church in New Zealand, the U.S. and elsewhere has yet to internalize the very painful truths that have emerged from the clergy abuse phenomenon and which continue to emerge.
One of the most important truths is that organized Churches, especially the Catholic Church, are not above the civil law and cannot use their stature to avoid accountability for felony crimes committed by the clergy.
Source / Article: Declaration of Thomas Patrick DOYLE, O.P., J.C.D., C.A.D.C. / October 5, 2010
Its amazing how Catholics can
Its amazing how Catholics can believe that Jesus Christ would approve of
- priests raping thousands of children
- bishops moving the child rapists
- bishops persistently hiding the truth
- bishops lying about it
- bishops and priests convincing all Catholics to shun, ignore or fight the victims of Catholic child rape
Actually, the Anti-Christ would approve of all of these things, and would be proud.
It seems implausible to me at
It seems implausible to me at this late day, that multitudes of Roman Catholics are willing to ignore the abundant and compelling evidence regarding the systematic abuse of children across the globe by the Roman Catholic “church”, that unarguably and categorically proves the “church” of which they are members is not guided by the Holy Spirit, neither the “one true church” built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, of which Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone and only head.(Eph. 2:20; Eph. 5:23) So blinded are they by their inbred institutional loyalty they find themselves unable to act rationally in the face of the painful realities with which they are now confronted which compels them to leave, but choose instead to remain tethered to a church that is utterly devoid of any moral or spiritual credibility. “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.”(Eph. 5:9) In place of goodness, there is gross immorality and unchecked vice . . all that is evil; in place of righteousness, there is widespread corruption; in place of truth, there is mental reservation . . deceit and lies. As it is written . . “spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Eph. 6:12) May the Lord yet be pleased to grant those who are so blinded, the courage to renounce the counterfeit religion of Rome, that they may by God’s grace, wholeheartedly embrace the religion of Christ and serve HIM in sincerity and in truth.
“. . . Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” (Rev. 18:4)
JuneAnnette, a Christian by God's grace
@ Bernard Lawless Catholics
@ Bernard Lawless
Catholics DO NOT approve of
- priests raping thousands of children
- bishops moving the child rapists
- bishops persistently hiding the truth
- bishops lying about it
- bishops and priests convincing all Catholics to shun, ignore or fight the victims of Catholic child rape.
There are many of us actively fighting the attitude which allows this with-in the hierarchy. Many Catholics don't know or can't believe that it is happening. We are doing our best to educate people so that they to can join us in this battle to cleanse our church of this abomination. Not every priest abuses children. Many, maybe even most, are good people who seek to serve the Lord the best way they can. Those who are in power need to be challenged from with-in and from with-out to make the changes which are necessary to protect our children and the most vulnerable of us. Each of us must do what we can in our station in life.
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen said:
“Who is going to save our Church? Not our Bishops, not our priests and religious. It is up to the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops like bishops and your religious act like religious”
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