Responses to Current Issues: The Clergy Sex Abuse Scandal
RESOURCES
PETITIONS AND OTHER ACTIONS
Call To Action's Recommendations
for Policy on Sexual Abuse of Minors
Sent to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, May 15, 2002
Reform Catholic Prieshood and Leadership
Petition
Petition created by CTA-Hope, an email community of Call To Action
18-42 year old members
The First Southern Illinois Synod
of Laity: (Exploring our Rights and Responsibilities!)
Responding to the many publicized abuses of authority in the handling
of recent molestation cases in the Roman Catholic Church, we invite
all Southern Illinois Catholics to join us in defining the priorities
for the desperately needed renewal in our Church. June 8, 2002
Voice
of the Faithful
Voice of the Faithful is a non-profit group formed in response
to the crisis in the Archdiocese of Boston, and the broader difficulties
afflicting the Catholic Church throughout the world. The group
seeks to aid Catholic renewal by providing a voice for the people
of the church. Based at St John's Parish, Wellesley, Mass. They
are planning a National Convention in Boston for July 20.
Call To Accountability
On March 16, 2001, the National Catholic Reporter uncovered shocking
reports written by senior members of women's religious orders
and an American priest asserting sexual abuse and rape of nuns
by priests is a serious problem around the world.
The Call
to Accountability Campaign is an ad hoc coalition of religious,
women's rights and human rights groups whose goal is to raise
public awareness about sexual violence against women in the Catholic
church and hold accountable the individuals and institutional
leadership involved or complicit in this problem.
OTHER CTA ACTION IDEAS
1. Educate yourself about child sexual abuse. These are many national organizations that will send you free literature or check their websites for information. This crisis gives us an opportunity to reach out, not only to victims of abuse by the clergy, but all persons in our church communities who have been or are being abused. We need to realize that anyone can be an abuser, the most common offender being a family member. If you think that because a man is friendly, charismatic or charming, he can't possibly be a child abuser, you must educate yourself on what type of person abuses children. Child molesters are skilled at being accepted so they can get access to their victims without raising any suspicion. Here are some valuable websites:
Child Abuse Prevention Network:
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information
2. Find out whether clergy are mandated reporters in your state. A useful research cite is : http://www.calib.com/nccanch/statutes/index.cfm#Glance. Every state has a child abuse reporting law. Certain professionals must report any suspicion of child abuse to the local child protective services agency that will then conduct an investigation. Doctors, teachers, day care workers and other persons must report child abuse but frequently, clergy are not "mandated reporters".
3. If clergy are not mandated reporters in your state, write or call your state legislators and demand a change in the law. (To find your local representative, check out this website: http://www.politicalindex.com/sect3.htm. There is no reason clergy should be treated differently for other professionals except when the disclosure is under the seal of the confessional.
4. Research your local diocesan policy and procedure on reporting child abuse. Demand voluntary compliance on the part of the diocese with mandated reporting laws if the clergy are exempt in your state. Impress upon the bishop that he should support a change in the law to make clergy mandated reporters. Ask how many referrals have actually been made to law enforcement authorities.
5. Insist that the diocese cease doing its own investigation of child abuse allegations. Only trained child abuse investigators should conduct them. Review boards do not have the expertise to do this and should not be interviewing alleged perpetrators before law enforcement personnel have an opportunity. A trained investigator will also be able to quickly identify false allegation by skillful interviews with the alleged victim. Review boards can be used to decide what personnel decisions should be made regarding the priest's assignment.
6. Write letters to the editor in both diocesan and secular newspapers calling for these changes and discussing other issues.
7. If you have an opportunity to be interviewed by the media, do it if you can. This is a chance to let people know CTA exists so they can connect with us. Many Catholics are upset and angry and ready to be part of a larger group to try and make a difference but they need to know we are here. Give out CTA's website address whenever you can.
8. Ask your bishop pointed questions regarding the financial implications of the scandal. For example:
Ask for full disclosure of the financial statements that show the above.
9. Following the lead of St. John's parish in Massachusetts, host group discussions on the systemic issues involved in this crisis, i.e. the priest shortage, optional celibacy, women's ordination, accountability and human sexuality. You can use the resources we already have from the Future Church/CTA, packets on The Future of Priestly Ministry, Women in Church Leadership, and Celebrating Women Witness.
10. Write your bishop asking for an open discussion of the issues raised in paragraph 7.
11. Ask your bishop to mandate good touch/bad touch child abuse prevention programs in the Catholic grade schools in your diocese. These programs teach children that they should tell a trusted adult if someone is touching them in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable. The earlier child abuse is disclosed, the more quickly victims can receive help and learn it is never their fault. The premiere program used in schools is the CAPP program
12. Use Pentecost and Corpus Christi as prayer opportunities to spread awareness.
13. Circulate petitions regarding the issues raised. Use this as an opportunity to tell people about CTA. See the petition being circulated by CTA young adults.
14. Implement the suggestions recommended by ARCC.
ABUSE SURVIVORS SUPPORT GROUPS
The Survivors of Clergy
Abuse (Link Up)
Linkup's Homepage
Survivors Network of those
Abused by Priests (SNAP)
http://www.survivorsnetwork.org/
Broken Rites Victim Support Group
Broken
Rites is a Australian non-denominational support group for
people who have been abused sexually, physically or emotionally
in religious institutions. These institutions include parishes,
church schools, church youth clubs and church-affiliated children's
homes. The offenders may be priests, ministers, religious brothers,
church-school teachers, lay officials or other church personnel.
NATIONAL & DIOCESAN POLICIES
BishopsWatch. This website exists to provide you a resource
to monitor and track the abusers and their superiors who have
permitted the abuse to continue.
Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, passed on June 14, 2002, by U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Canon
Law changes required to implement
the Charter. These have to go to the Vatican for approval.
U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops
Restoring
Trust: A Response to Sexual Abuse
Cardinal Roger Mahony, Archbishop
of Los Angeles
A Pastoral Statement, February 21-22, 2002
I
Will Appoint Over You Shepherds After My Own Heart
The Archdiocesan procedures focus upon these objectives:
Policies of Diocese of Covington, Ky.
Archdiocese of Cincinnati Decree on Child Protection
Sexual Misconduct Policy of the Archdiocese of Denver
On the Sexual Abuse of Children: A Statement by Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Milwaukee
Towards Healing - December
2000
Principles
and procedures in responding to complaints of abuse against personnel
of the Catholic Church of Australia
Australian Catholic Bishop's Conference & the Australian Conference
of Leaders of Religious Institutes, 1996
A
Program for Action
The Final Report of the Independent Review
on Child Protection in the Catholic Church in England and Wales,
Sept. 2001. This report lead to the establishment in January 2002
of the Catholic
Office for the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults, headed by an Anglican woman.
Diocese of Covington policy
Find link at lower left
PRESS RELEASES BY CHURCH REFORM GROUPS
Bishops must give lay review boards real
authority - press release from FutureChurch, June 20, 2002
www.futurechurch.org
Bishops' Didn't Go Far Enough - press release
CTA response to Ad Hoc Committee on Sex Abuse draft policy of
June 4, 2002
ARCC RESPONDS TO DALLAS MEETING -
press
release, June 17, 2002
For over two decades the Association for the Rights of Catholics
in the Church has called the Catholic Church to develop a participatory
Church governance structure that will end outdated practices of
unilateral, unaccountable privilege and lack of transparency that
have been typical of monarchies and unworthy of a church that
claims to bring the light of Christ into the world. The bishops'
meeting in Dallas was the beginning of a process which must not
end whether the Vatican approves or not.
Call To Action proposes sex abuse policy
to bishops - press
release
CTA's Recommendations for Policy on Sexual Abuse of Minors, developed
with advice from abuse survivors and people with expertise in
civil law, church law, priestly formation, therapy, and diocesan
sexual abuse policies have been mailed to every U.S. Catholic
Bishop and all 25,000 CTA members. CTA, the largest grassroots
Catholic Church reform organization in the country, encouraged
its members to use the recommendations as a basis for letters
to their local bishops leading up to the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops meeting in Dallas, June 13-15.
Association for the Rights of Catholics
in the Church - press release
The Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church (ARCC),
supported by many Catholic organizations and individuals world-wide,
is today launching an: International Movement for a Catholic
Constitution
Catholic Organizations for Renewal - Healing and Hope: Analysis of a Crisis
Philadelphia Cardinal "Slanders"
Gays - Dignity/USA press
release
Catholics Urged to Call for an End to Bigotry, Scapegoating
April 29, 2002 - Members of Dignity/USA, the nation's
largest organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered
Catholics and their families and friends, are reacting angrily
to comments by Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua of Philadelphia on
the issue of gay priests. On Friday, April 26, responding to a
question, Bevilacqua confirmed that his archdiocese screens seminary
applicants for homosexuality because "we feel a person who
is homosexual-oriented is not a suitable candidate for the priesthood
even if he had never committed any homosexual act."
Response to Cardinals' Meeting in Rome -
Call To Action press
statement
Chicago, April 25, 2002 --"We are appalled at the failure
of leadership of the Cardinals. They went into the meeting in
Rome talking about some of the key issues. They came out of the
meeting with nothing of substance, " said Linda Pieczynski,
spokesperson for Call To Action.
Gay Catholics Condemn Remarks by US Catholic
Bishops Conference President - press
statement
Warn of Possible "Witch Hunt" to Oust Gay Priests
April 23, 2002 - Gay Catholics reacted with outrage
to remarks following the first day of official meetings with Vatican
officials, including the Pope, on the clergy sexual abuse scandal
in the US Catholic Church. In reporting on the meeting, Bishop
Wilton Gregory, President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops
said, "It is most importantly a struggle to make sure that
the Catholic priesthood is not dominated by homosexual men,"
Gregory said. "Not only is it not dominated by homosexual
men, but to make sure that candidates that we receive are healthy
in every possible way - psychologically, emotionally, spiritually."
Gay Catholics Challenge Pope, Cardinals
on Rome Meeting - Dignity/USA press
statement
Dignity/USA Addresses Priest Sex Abuse Scandal
- Press
Statement
Washington, DC, April 8, 2002 - The Board of Directors of Dignity/USA,
the nation's largest organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered (GLBT) Catholics, met here this weekend and devoted
much of its meeting to issues raised by the clergy sex abuse scandal
unfolding in the Catholic Church. The following statement was
issued at the conclusion of the Dignity Board's deliberations.
Vatican Remarks on Gay Priests, Sexual Abuse
Condemned - Press
Statement by Dignity/USA
March 4, 2002 Leaders of Dignity/USA today condemned statements
by Vatican spokesman Dr. Joaquin Navarro-Valls in which he blamed
clergy sexual abuse on gay priests. Navarro-Valls was quoted in
the March 3, 2002 The New York Times as saying that "People
with these inclinations just cannot be ordained," and likening
their ordination to a marriage that could be annulled.
What Ordinary Catholics Can Do - Press Statement
by Call To Action
CHICAGO, April 1, 2002 -- In the wake of mounting charges
of sexual abuse and cover ups by bishops and priests, the largest
grassroots Catholic Church reform organization in the country
called for an end to the secrecy and silence that has characterized
the handling of these cases.
Papal Response to Clergy Sex Abuse Inadequate
- Press
Statement by Call To Action
Chicago, Mar. 22, 2002 -- In response to the Pope's statement
on Thursday condemning child sex abuse by clergy, the largest
grassroots Catholic Church reform organization in the country
called for uniform standards in dealing with allegations of child
abuse.
Vatican Trying to Scapegoat Gays
- Press
Statement by Call To Action
CHICAGO, March 8, 2002 -- Call to Action expressed its astonishment
at attempts by the Vatican to exclude gay men from the priesthood.
"The Vatican is trying to deflect attention from the role
of the U.S. bishops who created this current clergy sex abuse
crisis. It has nothing to do with gay priests," said Linda
Pieczynski, spokesperson for Call to Action.
Association for the Rights of Catholics in
the Church
Sexual
Abuse -- Spawn of the Vatican's Lust for Power
The Association for the Rights of Catholics in the Church seeks
to unmask and dismantle the structures of unjust dominance wherever
they exist. Consequently, we deplore and condemn any and all cases
of sexual attacks by priests, whether the victims are women, men,
or minors.
MEDIA SITES
OTHER
What one expert says - Catholic Telegraph,
Cincinnati
Dr. Frederick S. Berlin, MD, PhD, is associate professor of the
department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine and Founder of the Sexual
Disorders Clinic at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is director
of the National Institute for the Study, Prevention and Treatment
of Sexual Trauma and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the
Foundation for the Study, Prevention and Treatment of Sexual Trauma.
Dr. Berlin has written extensively on sexual disorders for numerous
distinguished journals, including The American Journal of Psychiatry,
The New England Journal of Medicine and The American Journal of
Forensic Psychiatry. He has been a consultant to the National
Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse
since its inception.
In "Restoring Trust" an internet resource of the
Diocese of Tucson, Dr. Berlin had these things to say about sexual
abuse of minors, particularly in relation to clergy.
http://www.catholiccincinnati.org/tct/mar2202/032202sidebar.html
National
Federation of Priests' Councils
Letters by Rev. Robert J. Silva ,
President, National Federation of Priests' Councils, and Rev.
Stephen J. Rossetti,
President, Saint Luke Institute
The Manual on clergy sex abuse prepared by Rev Tom Doyle and others for the U.S. Bishops in 1985
The Sipe Report - an expert report on clergy sex abuse by A.W. Richard Sipe
Prayer Services
BOOKS TO READ
The Unhealed Wound: The Church and Human Sexuality. Eugene Kennedy, St Martin's Press, NY, 2001. Reviewed
Sex, Priest and Power: Anatomy of a Crisis. A. W. Richard Sipe. New York: Brunner / Mazel Publishers, 1995 Reviewed
Bless Me Father, For I Have Sinned. Plante (ed), 1999, Report of a symposium
In the Name of All That is Holy: A Theory of Clergy Malfeasance. Anson Shupe.Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1995. Reviewed
The Changing Face of the Priesthood : A Reflection on the Priest's Crisis of Soul. Donald B. Cozzens. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 2000 Reviewed
Understanding Sexual Misconduct by Clergy: A Handbook for
Ministers. John Allen Loftus, S.J. Oregon Catholic Press
