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Theresa's Tidbits: Abuse scandal puts Catholic church at crossroads
Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
This is a difficult column for me to write – but I have to write it.
As a lifelong Catholic, I have been following the stories about the sex abuse scandals with horror and sadness – horror at the scope of it, and sadness, of course, for the victims.
When the Irish cases broke, I shook my head. When I read last week about a Wisconsin priest having abused 200 boys, I almost felt ill.
Many are saying the media is blowing the situation out of proportion.
As a journalist, I would say that while that may be so, those reporters were doing their jobs in bringing to light these immoral happenings.
Now, the church is having to play catchup, admitting that incidents did happen.
But while many priests were defrocked, or had their ministry limited, many more were shunted from parish to parish and continued the abuse, adding to the list of victims.
It’s important to stress that the vast majority of priests do not enage in abuse. And, understandably enough, the church wants to ensure that accusations against a priest aren’t baseless, before doing anything.
But if there has been abuse, and it is proven, then swift action is needed.
The old adage about one rotten apple spoiling the entire barrel if it’s not removed, is especially true here.
Unfortunately, this didn’t happen in the past.
It is beginning to happen under the current Pope – who, to his credit, has met with abuse victims and is willing to do so again – and that is good, but only a start.
This cannot be stressed too strongly: once the abuse has been confirmed, the hierarchy must not dally in dealing with it. And they must do it not behind closed doors, but in a more public manner. It doesn’t mean they have to give all the details (and for the victims’ sake, they shouldn’t), but they have to be clear on what has happened with Father So-and-so. So the victims will know they have been heard and believed, justice must not only be done, but be seen to be done.
The abuse crisis presents an opportunity for Catholicism – a chance for more openness, a rapid solution to cases of abuse and giving victims more of a voice. If this doesn’t happen, many of the faithful could fall away.
I hope and pray, with a heavy yet hopeful heart, that it’s the former that happens.
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