Dear Friends,
Not long ago, someone remarked to me about how difficult it is to be
Catholic these days. An understatement, I thought. It seems that
scarcely a day goes by that we are not greeted (assaulted would be the
better word) by some new and shocking revelation that relates to one
aspect or another of the sexual abuse scandal that, for far too long,
has been rocking the church--not just in this country, not just in the
developed countries of the world, but seemingly everywhere.
We are scandalized, disgusted, and weary beyond words. Our hearts ache
for the thousands of victims who carry heavy burdens through their
lives. And while I can’t speak for all of us, I am quite sure that most
of us who follow the news--and who relate day after day to friends,
neighbors, and co-workers (and, often enough, to family members who no
longer consider themselves Catholic)--are finding it increasingly
difficult to explain why we continue to identify as Catholic, why we
continue to practice our faith.
I wish I could provide comfort for
you at a profoundly difficult time. I wish I could provide answers to
the questions you are struggling with. I wish I could reassure you that
the worst is over and that things will quiet down soon. I cannot. All I
can do is offer a few considerations that may help provide some context
and some nuance--both of which, when it comes to news reports, seem to
be in short supply.
First, the church, despite all its egregious sins and failings,
its fatal compromises and its deceptions, will weather this storm and,
with the grace of God, become a stronger, more credible, more effective
instrument for preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe
this with all my heart. For this to happen, however, our bishops must
prayerfully listen to God’s Spirit, humbly hear the cries of God’s
people, and resolutely take bold and deliberate steps to root out of the
church every discernible trace of abuse, cover-up, dishonesty,
self-deception, and hypocrisy. Only in this way will a dispirited and
deeply wounded church be able to move forward and carry out its sacred
mission.
Not every representation in the secular media regarding these
issues can be taken as gospel. Don’t get me wrong: I am not
accusing the secular media of ill will or deliberate misrepresentation,
but we shouldn’t expect secular news sources to have a carefully nuanced
understanding of the church, its life, its history, its theology, or its
canons. I also think it’s true to say that the church has not always
helped the situation: too often it has been far from forthcoming with
clear, complete, transparent, and unbiased information.
Despite what we often hear in news stories, it is not true to
say or to imply that the United States Bishops have not taken serious
and significant steps to deal with the abuse crisis. That they
have been slow in doing so is unarguable, that they have been uneven in
their response is also beyond dispute, but since 2002 when they adopted
the so-called Dallas Charter, the bishops have taken major steps not
only to address the sad history of the sexual abuse of children and
vulnerable adults in the church, but also to put into place a set of
policies and protocols to prevent its ever happening again. So, even
last summer’s revelations of the Pennsylvania Grand Jury, lurid and
shocking as they were, should be seen as reports on criminal activity
that took place prior to 2002—and much of it fifty or more years ago.
This will bring no comfort to victims, and it certainly does not in any
way excuse past crimes and misdeeds, but it provides nuance and
acknowledges facts that were largely overlooked in much, if not all, of
the reporting. And so, while it is true that before 2002 most, if not
all, bishops made serious errors (sometimes on the basis of flawed
advice from mental health and treatment professionals), it is not fair
to overlook the major changes in policy and practice that have been
adopted and implemented, nor is it fair to characterize all bishops as
turning a blind eye, ignoring victims and their families, protecting
offenders, and guarding the church’s reputation at all costs.
The learning curve for dealing with these issues has been long
and slow--too long and too slow. But the same can be said for
society in general, including families, youth organizations, and other
churches and institutions, both public and private. Put simply, society
understands these issues much better now than it did decades ago: for us
in the church it means that we have come to realize that the sexual
abuse of children is not just a grave sin, but also a serious crime, and
that it is, in almost every case, treatable but not curable. Some
bishops awakened to these realities rather quickly and took them to
heart decades ago; others, sadly, were slow to act.
The church is global. The church exists in countries
around the world where cultural differences are well beyond our
experience or comprehension. For that reason it shouldn’t be too
surprising that issues of sexual abuse and cover-up are not the same
everywhere and that only today are we beginning to hear stories coming
out of places like Africa and India. In spite of all our cultural
differences, however, the church must adopt enlightened--and, as far as
possible--unified approaches for dealing with these issues. The current
meeting in Rome is an important step in that direction but only a step,
and three days of dialogue, reflection, and meeting with victims can
hardly be expected to heal this long-festering wound. If, during the
meeting, the most important issues are identified, mistakes owned and
repented, and a comprehensive course of action adopted, that is probably
as much as we should expect. For now.
The debate within the church at the present time regarding the
causes underlying sexual abuse is an extremely important one involving
very complex issues. Some would narrow it all down to mandatory
celibacy for priests, others want to blame gays within the priesthood,
others the general sexual permissiveness within our culture, and still
others the clerical culture within the church that places priests on a
pedestal and gives them an inordinate amount of power. I think it is
safe to say that, despite claims made by representatives of various
ideological factions within the church, the jury is still out when it
comes to identifying all the causes. My prayer is that this week’s
meeting of bishops with Pope Francis—who is committed to finding
solutions and has been very candid about admitting his own mistakes—will
begin a frank discussion of the causes, and open the way to necessary
changes and reforms, no matter how sweeping. I also hope that those
bishops who have made quite clear their opposition to Pope Francis and
his leadership, will set aside polemics and divisiveness and work
together with him to find lasting solutions to the crisis we are facing.
Let me close with this thought. We will do well to keep in mind that the
church has dealt with grave crises and scandals many times throughout
its long history and, thanks to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the
courageous witness of saints beyond number, the church has been
deepened, purified, and energized. And I would add that none of the
evils we are dealing with—no matter how grave—is able to undo the
immense amount of good that the church, the holy yet sinful People of
God, accomplishes every day in our parishes, ministries, and
institutions here and around the world. We in this parish are witnesses
to this every day—in fact, we are part of it. All of which puts me in
mind of a recent editorial in America magazine, by its editor,
Father Matt Malone. He writes:
In any given hour, on any given day, the news in the church is more
good than bad. Much more. By a magnitude of millions more. That’s
because most of the news in the church is the Good News of Jesus Christ.
That’s something we know as people of faith, but it is also empirically
true: Every day millions, billions of people are served by the church,
helped and healed through its sacraments, and accompanied through its
social services. Couples marry, children are baptized, young people are
confirmed in their faith, sinners are forgiven. This is happening right
now as you read this in every place the church calls home.
My friends, all of us are committed to the holy mission of the church.
In this most trying of times, may we find strength in our faith, hope
for the future, and the joy that comes from preaching and living the
gospel of Christ. I know that you join me, your fellow parishioners, our
bishops, and the entire church in praying that we will. May it be so!
Father Michael G. Ryan
|
|
