Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
X-posted from C&OC: Unfinished work: Examining 10 years of clergy sex abuse
http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/unfinished-work-examining-10-years-clergy-sex-abuseSANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Ten years after widespread news coverage of sexual abuse by priests rocked the U.S. Catholic church, hierarchical response to the continuing crisis indicates the church has “lost its ability to be a self-correcting institution,” Jesuit Fr. Tom Reese told a symposium of experts on clergy abuse today.
Reese delivered the keynote speech this morning at a daylong conference titled “Clergy Sexual Abuse Ten Years Later,” being held at Jesuit-run Santa Clara University. Following Reese is a series of panel discussions from a wide-range of sex abuse experts.
Among the speakers are some who firmly defend the U.S. bishops’ response to the crisis, particularly since the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in 2002 and others who sometimes vehemently point to its weaknesses.
(snip)
In his keynote, Reese addressed “the unfinished work of responding to the sexual abuse crisis.” He said that despite changes in church policy to better investigate abuse, “the problem in the Catholic church today is that the hierarchy has so focused on obedience and control” that it can no longer fix itself.
“Creative theologians are attacked, sisters are investigated, Catholic publications are censored and loyalty is the most important virtue. These actions are defended by the hierarchy because of fears of ‘scandalizing the faithful,’ when in fact it is the hierarchy who have scandalized the faithful,” said Reese, a senior fellow at Georgetown’s Woodstock Theological Center.
“We still do not have a system for bringing bishops to account,” Reese said. “It is a disgrace that only one bishop (Cardinal [Bernard] Law of Boston) resigned because of his failure to deal with the sexual abuse crisis. The church would be in a much better place today if 30 or more bishops had stood up, acknowledged their mistakes, taken full responsibility, apologized and resigned.”
“A shepherd is supposed to lay down his life for his sheep; these men were unwilling to lay down their croziers for the good of the church,” he continued.
“Creative theologians are attacked, sisters are investigated, Catholic publications are censored and loyalty is the most important virtue. These actions are defended by the hierarchy because of fears of ‘scandalizing the faithful,’ when in fact it is the hierarchy who have scandalized the faithful,” said Reese, a senior fellow at Georgetown’s Woodstock Theological Center.
“We still do not have a system for bringing bishops to account,” Reese said. “It is a disgrace that only one bishop (Cardinal [Bernard] Law of Boston) resigned because of his failure to deal with the sexual abuse crisis. The church would be in a much better place today if 30 or more bishops had stood up, acknowledged their mistakes, taken full responsibility, apologized and resigned.”
“A shepherd is supposed to lay down his life for his sheep; these men were unwilling to lay down their croziers for the good of the church,” he continued.
More here: http://ncronline.org/news/accountability/unfinished-work-examining-10-years-clergy-sex-abuse