A Church Worthy of Our Children

November 1, 2002

DignityUSA

<h4>A joint statement of member organizations of Catholic Organizations for Renewal (COR) concerning the sexual abuse policy of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops</h4>Forty years ago the Second Vatican Council opened the windows and doors of the Church and touched the heart of the world. Thirty years ago reform organizations of Catholics in America came into being seeking to keep alive the promise of that Council. Ten years ago Catholic Organizations for Renewal (COR) gathered reform groups into a national forum for dialogue and decision. This year in the midst of the greatest scandal in American Catholic Church history COR members issued a document in April as our contribution to the resolution of this crisis. It is attached to this statement.The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has recently issued a charter for the protection of children. It is praiseworthy for its call for lay involvement and for its stern insistence that predators be removed from the priesthood and made to face criminal charges. The charter is disappointing in the immunity it allows bishops from accountability in its maintenance of the system which fosters the abuse of power and in its preservation of unrealistic statutes of limitations.The formal Vatican response to the charter raises issues of abuse definition secrecy lay participation due process and cooperation with civil authorities.We are guided in this statement by the overarching need to protect children. A child assumes the world is trustworthy. When that trust is broken especially by those who act in the name of God the child seldom recovers completely.With the hope of healing we offer brief words on ten issues of urgent concern.<h4 style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51 0 102); >1. Definition of Sexual Abuse</h4>The Vatican correctly indicts the inadequacy of the definition of sexual abuse in the U.S. charter. Such a definition is not helpful unless it is specific and detailed. We suggest the definition be drafted along the lines of contemporary civil jurisprudence.<h4 style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51 0 102); >2. Accountability of the Bishops</h4>The anger and hurt of lay people at large in the American Church are centered on the bishops whose incompetence neglect complicity or well-intentioned misguidance have led to the exploitation of thousands of children. No bishop has been compelled to leave office because of cover-up transfer of known predators to other pastoral assignments or payment of Church money in exchange for secrecy and silence. This immunity of bishops from accountability is not the sign of a collegial church but of an aristocratic system.<h4 style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51 0 102); >3. Pontifical Secrecy</h4>The Vatican must revoke its recent policy of insisting that all credible sexual abuse charges against priests be sent immediately by the bishop under pontifical secrecy to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. Pontifical secrecy is far more onerous than mere confidentiality. It guarantees that the Vatican will control the evidence. It is this very system of secrecy the very lack of transparency and the clerical assumption of superior knowledge that have fueled this crisis.The U.S. charter speaks of credible allegations but it does not adequately address the process by which they are adjudicated. Every victim and every priest must have due process. Since victims have so long been denied this their concerns must be paramount in our deliberations. We note with regret that canon law elaborates due process for clergy but disempowers the laity at large. Canon law is flawed because it includes in the judicial process those who are parties to the dispute. When Church officers are accused they themselves become the judges of the accusation. The Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have lost their credibility as agents of due process. Impartial and independent lay review boards with deliberative power and the imperative to report directly to civil authority itself are absolutely essential in resolving this crisis and restoring trust in the system.<h4 style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51 0 102); >5. Statutes of Limitations</h4>Canon law and civil authority have diverse time periods for statutes of limitations. We believe all statutes of limitations should be eliminated in cases where the victim is a minor and the behavior is criminal.<h4 style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51 0 102); >6. Removal from Ordained Ministry</h4>Forgiveness and reconciliation are essential to our life as disciples of Christ. We do not however believe that clearly defined criminal sexual abuse of a minor even once even many years ago should be so discounted that an ordained minister may continue to be identified as such and render service at that level. The possibility of repetition and the implication that we tolerate such dreadful actions call for the termination of formal ordained ministry in all its forms. We observe that the U.S. charter did not set in place an effective process for the review of older cases and that this has led to idiosyncratic application of the new norms. In any instance the dismissed priest deserves due process and should receive compassion from the community. He forfeits not the community's forgiveness nor its gratitude for his good work nor his further acts of reparation and service. He forfeits the right to lead the community and to function in it as a priest. He forfeits this not because of vindictiveness but because the welfare of children and even his own capacity to be healed are better preserved by his lack of access to those who might easily become victims.<h4 style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51 0 102); >7. Lay Review Boards</h4>Lay review boards monitor implementation of the charter and diocesan policy regarding sex abuse of minors. They are the voice of God's People and a sign of hope and healing for the victims. They must be given deliberative authority and must be an impartial independent panel for priests and victims. The review boards may prove especially helpful in the review of old cases and in caring for priests and victims. Review boards should be staffed by professionals competent in these matters and should include a victim or a representative whom victims trust to speak for them. No member of the lay review boards should be employed by the Church. Members should be chosen in a process that is not limited to the bishop and his staff. The boards should send charges of credible and criminal sexual abuse of a minor to the bishop and the civil authorities simultaneously.<h4 style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51 0 102); >8. Cooperation with Civil Authorities</h4>Civil authorities are essential agents in the restoration of credibility in the Catholic Church. This is both ironic and yet somehow in keeping with the Second Vatican Council's trust of secular life. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has lost its capacity to lead in this instance. All charges of clearly defined criminal sexual abuse of a minor must be reported to civil authorities. This policy will not diminish the relationship of bishops and priests with each other if bishops are truly pastoral and fair and if the priests they ordain are clearly healthy and dedicated to Christ's message.<h4 style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51 0 102); >9. Clericalism</h4>We find it deplorable that substantial reform of the clerical system and the priesthood is not cited in official Church statements on this crisis. There is a call to manage the crisis to study the candidates in the seminary their training and their sexual maturity. One would have thought all this was in place from the very beginning. Official Church documents seek to maintain the clerical system. They do not show any intent to make the ordained ministry more inclusive and more accountable. Indeed there is an indictment of homosexuals as the cause of the problem. We see abuse of power as the cause. Blaming homosexuals for a difficulty rooted in a dysfunctional Church system is an attempt to preserve the system and deny the problem. We do not need more apologies. We need change reform renewal and collegiality.<h4 style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51 0 102); >10. Joint Commission</h4>The recent Vatican joint commission of bishops summoned to revise the U.S. charter is a sign that the dimensions of this crisis are still not perceived in Rome. If an ecumenical council and a birth control commission could include laity women and even Christians of other churches why was this not an appropriate constituency for the Vatican commission? The exclusion of victim representation on the commission is part and parcel of a Vatican process of deciding issues with no representation from the concerned groups.The violation of children amounts to a new slaughter of the innocents to a crucifixion of God's People by an abusive power system. Christ told us that if we shatter the heart of a child we lose the Gospel. The consequences are dire. The summons could not be more urgent.<h4 style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; color: rgb(51 0 102); >COR organizational signatures follow.</h4>Assn. For Rights of Catholics in the Church  John F. Sheehan  413-527-9929ARCC Office  P.O. Box 85  Southhampton MA 01073  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:arccangel@charter.net>arccangel@charter.net</a>Call to Action USA  Don Wedd  773-404-0004 x 270  Linda Pieczynski (eves)  630-323-6924  2135 W. Roscoe  Chicago IL 60618  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:don@cta-usa.org>don@cta-usa.org</a>Call to Action of Northern Virginia  Sharon Danner  703-680-0860  PO Box 5617  Arlington VA 22205  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:ctanva@comcast.net>ctanva@comcast.net</a>Catholics Speak Out/Quixote Center  Rea Howarth  301-699-0042  PO Box 5206  Hyattsville MD 20786  <a target=_blank style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=http://www.quixote.org/cso>www.quixote.org/cso</a>  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:cso@quixote.org>cso@quixote.org</a>Catholics for a Free Choice  Frances Kissling  202-986-6093  1436 U Street NW Suite 301  Washington DC 20009  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:cffc@catholicsforchoice.org>cffc@catholicsforchoice.org</a> <a target=_blank style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=http://www.catholicsforchoice.org/>www.catholicsforchoice.org</a>Catholics for a Free Choice Canada  Kathleen Howes LL B  416-463-0948  P.O Box 65179  Toronto Ontario Canada  M4K 3Z2  <a target=_blank style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=http://www.cath4choice-canada.ca/>http://www.cath4choice-canada.ca/</a>Catholics for the Spirit of Vatican II  Thomas J. Kerwin Acting Director  303-221-7622  4980 E. Quincy Ave.  Englewood CO 80110  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:tjkerwin@aol.com>tjkerwin@aol.com</a>CORPUS  Anthony Padovano  973-539-8732  9 Millstone Dr.  Morris Plains NJ 07950  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:tpadovan@optonline.net>tpadovan@optonline.net</a>CORPUS/Baltimore  John O'Brien  410-453-0401  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:mjjob@aol.com>mjjob@aol.com</a>DignityUSA  Patrick T. McArron President  800-877-8797  1500 Massachusetts Ave. NW Suite 11  Washington DC 20005  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:info@dignityusa.org>info@dignityusa.org</a> <a target=_blank style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51 0 102); text-decoration: underline; href=http://www.dignityusa.org/>www.dignityusa.org</a>Federation of Christian Ministries  Sr. Bridget Mary Meehan President  703-379-2487  5856 Glen Forest Dr.  Falls Church VA 22041  sofiabmm@aol.comFellowship of Southern Illinois Laity  Lena Woltering  618-234-4073  FOSIL P.O. Box 31  Belleville Illinois 62222.  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:FOSILize@aol.com>FOSILize@aol.com</a>Good Tidings Ministry  Cait Finnegan  570-595-2705  PO Box 283  Canadensis PA 18325  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:goodtidings@aol.com>goodtidings@aol.com</a> <a target=_blank style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=http://www.marriedpriests.org/GoodTidings.htm>http://www.marriedpriests.org/GoodTidings.htm</a>Pax Christi - Maine  William Slavick  207-773-6562  242 Ludlow St.  Portland ME 04102  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:william.slavick@maine.edu>william.slavick@maine.edu</a>Save Our Sacrament:  Reform of Annulment & Respondent Support  Janice P. Leary Ph.D.  Box 5119  Cochituate MA 01778  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:saveoursac@aol.com>saveoursac@aol.com</a>Spiritus Christi Catholic Church  Rev. Jim Callan  716-325-1180  60 Bittner St.  Rochester NY 14604  716-325-1180  <a target=_blank style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=http://www.spirituschristi.org/>www.spirituschristi.org</a>Southeastern Pa. Women's Ordination Conference  Regina Bannan  215-545-9649  323 South 17th Street  Philadelphia PA 19103  <a target=_blank style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=http://www.sepawoc.org/>http://www.sepawoc.org</a> <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:rbannan@vm.temple.edu>rbannan@vm.temple.edu</a>Women’s Ordination Conference  Genevieve Chavez  505-525-2358  P.O. Box 2693  Fairfax VA 22030  <a target=_blank style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=http://www.womensordiantion.org/>www.womensordiantion.org</a>  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:gdchavez@zianet.com>gdchavez@zianet.com</a>Liaison Organizations  CITI Ministries Inc.  (Celibacy Is the Issue)  Louise Haggett  508-872-4644 Ron Ingalls  Cellphone: 508-277-1523  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:ringalls44@attbi.com>ringalls44@attbi.com</a> P.O. Box 2850  Framingham MA 01703-2850  <a target=_blank style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=http://www.rentapriest.com/>www.rentapriest.com</a>  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:rentapriest@aol.com>rentapriest@aol.com</a>Priests for Equality/Quixote Center  Mark Buckley  301-699-0042  P.O. Box 5206  Hyattsville MD 20782  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:markb@quixote.org>markb@quixote.org</a>Women's Alliance for Theology Ethics and Ritual (WATER)  Mary Hunt  301-589-2509  8035 13th St.  Silver Spring MD 20910  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:mhunt@hers.com>mhunt@hers.com</a>Young Feminists' Network  Joy Barnes  703-352-1006  P.O. Box 2693  Fairfax VA 22031  <a style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0 0 102); text-decoration: none; href=mailto:grassroots@womensordination.org>grassroots@womensordination.org</a>

A Church Worthy of Our Children

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