Seeking the Truth

     Continuing my reflection on the clergy sexual abuse scandal, I would like to share these thoughts on seeking the truth and justice for all.  Please note: these are my personal thoughts only.

     The well publicized Pennsylvania Grand Jury Report of August of 2018 made it clear that there were over 300 accusations made against priests in six of the eight dioceses in the Commonwealth (the two others had their own Grand Jury Reports previously) over the last 70 years.  With persistent requests by civil and Church authorities for victims to step forward, and with the relentless solicitation by a number of lawyers and firms, the numbers grew.  In our diocese there were, I believe, twenty-one men accused in the report, with about four additionally accused since then.  These accusations go back many years, with very few if any current in our day.  Looking at the list of priests who served in the Diocese of Greensburg since 1951 when the Diocese was formed, there have been 213 priests who served here who have died.  With the number serving or retired at this time, the number reaches just over 300.  Add the men who have left active ministry for a host of reasons over these years, and the number grows greatly.   These have been and continue to be good men of faith, dedicated to the service of the Lord and committed to living out the Gospel life.  Like all of us journeying toward our perfect union with the Lord of Life, we are sinners striving to be saints.  

      When we fall, the entire community suffers.  As sinners we are called to repentance.  We must face the consequences of our actions and make amends.  And when justice is brought about, it must be adequate and fair.  As Christians, justice must be tempered by mercy.  Only then can it lead to healing and not revenge.  And isn't this what we need ... healing and reconciliation as well as justice and peace.

     As an article from the August edition of Psychology Today by Thomas Plante which I mentioned in a previous post observes ... though most are, not every report of clerical sexual abuse is true.  There are a host of reasons for this observation.  We live in a very accusatory world.  However, every acusation must be looked at and its truthfulness determined before we pass judgement.   This must be done in civil law as well as in Church law.  The difficulty lies in the fact that so many accusations come from years ago when proof is elusive because of death or sketchy memory or lack of evidence.  That is, in my understanding, one of the reasons for statutes of limitations.  The vast majority of those accused in this diocese have accusations made long after their deaths.  The process needs to provide the one accused the ability to defend themselves and their reputations, and an unbiased court of law (Church and civil alike) to determine the truthfulness ... not the court of public opinion and the press.

     This is one of my personal problems with the Grand Jury Report (and the Grand Jury system).  It is in practice one sided.  The prosecutor seeks out whatever testimony and information they need to bring an individual to trial.  Then both sides present their cases before a judgement is rendered.  Last August the world was told that all three hundred plus men who were accused Catholic priests were guilty of terrible actions and not entitled to defend themselves against these accusations.  The news media painted them with one brush stroke, and hinted that the Church and the majority of her priests were included in that broad stroke of the brush of accusation and guilt.

     And if you will excuse a personal judgemental feeling, there were a number of lawyers and law firms that saw big bucks in attacking the institution of the Church rather than only the individual and have become a new form of abulance chasers.

     I personally have become aware of three friends who suffered at the hands of one of the accused priests from the report.  I have no doubts regarding their experience, even though I was totally unaware of these things happening.  In fact, I even served in a parish with this priest many years later without any indication that something like this had ever taken place.  I was shocked and disappointed with this priest and deeply saddened for my classmates and friends.  I heard from one yesterday who spoke powerfully of his journey from hurt and pain to the merciful and healing embrace of the Lord through the Church.  He assured me that he prays for his abuser and the bishop at the time … and that he names me and other priests in his prayers.  I am deeply moved by his generous response to the Lord's love and compassion.

    The journey ahead is only beginning and there will be challenging days ahead for the Church - the faithful and those who serve them in the name of the Lord.  But this is the Lord's Church, and he has promised to always be faithful to his covenant.  He has promised that the "gates of hell" shall not prevail against her.  He has promised us healing and love.   Rely on that promise.   

The Darkness of our times

     I am a person who delights in the daylight.  The longer the opportunity to be out in the sun the better.  Thus the beginning of the return to "regular time" which began this past weekend with the end of Daylight Saving Time does not make me happy.

     However, it is not only the lessening of daylight in our lives, but the pervasive darkness of evil in our society and our world as the years go on that concerns me even more.  There is a new program on one of the networks that is entitled "Evil".  I have not and will not watch the program for the simple reason that there is enough evil in the world today for me to deal with.  With evil comes darkness, and with darkness comes fear and from fear comes confusion and even more darkness.

     Our world is set on a path that does not reflect gospel values and therefore is often devoid of God's love and mercy.  We are self-centered and self-possesed.  We are often filled with hurt and anger and seek our "pound of flesh".  We accuse, we sue, we hate, we harden our hearts, and we are found wanting in so many ways.

     As I mentioned in my last post, the scandal that has publically rocked our Church since the terrible revelation of pedophilia and sexual abuse of minors by priests in the Boston area in 2002 and the subsequent revelations over the years has brought us to our knees.  The efforts of the Church to deal with these sinful acts of some of her ministers and the Church's failures to respond adequately continue to be ongoing as we find better ways to deal with this darkness.  The Pennsylvania Grand Jury report of last August and the growing inquiries across the nation and the world reveal a need to be vigilant in living the gospel ... the need to address those who have been hurt and devastated by these sinful acts ... the desire for justice for the accusing victims as well as for the accused victims (I include those accused because not all have been found guilty or have had their ability to defend their good names before being condemned and labeled) ... and the need to repent, to forgive, to heal and to restore dignity to all caught up in this mess.

     In my reading I have heard time and time again that the vast majority of sexual pedophiles (young children) or of adolescent teens are found in families: parents or siblings or grandparents or aunts and uncles, etc.  In an article in Psychology Today this past August it was pointed out that 4% of Catholic clerics had credible or substantiated accusations of child sexual abuse of minors in the last fifty years.  This same article mentions a U.S. Department of Education study that found that about 6% of public school teachers had credible or substantiated claims of abuse during the same time period.  It also pointed out that 3 to 5 % of all men meet the criteria for pedophilia.  It concludes that "there is simply no evidence that Catholic priests sexually abuse children or teens at rates higher than other groups of men."  This is not presented as an excuse but rather to place the crisis in a more proper framework.

     Sexual abuse is rampant in society.  The abuse of children is particularly abhorant.  The fact that men of God who minister a gospel of dignity and love are found guilty of such acts is scandalous beyond imagining.  But that the Church and her priests are part of an organized criminal activity to be singled out and made examples of is unfair and unjust.  Serious mistakes have been made in some cases by the Church in her handling of these cases, but to go after the Church, attempting to bring her down or to get big settlements is a "lawyer thing" that fuels the anti-Catholic attitude still found in our society.  When was the last time you saw a school district or other organization being accused or sued or dragged over the coals?  We have much to be ashamed of ... much to make amends for ... tremendous work to bring healing and forgiveness to devastating memories.  But we have Christ Jesus to place our faith in, to be our hope for a better and more enlightened world, and whose love is beyond any hurt or limitation or darkess that we face.

     

Greetings!

     This was the word that I used to begin this journey of sharing my thoughts on priesthood by using this blog: "Journey Thoughts".  That was on March 11, 2011 - almost eight years and eight months ago.  Since that time I have posted 1,139 times and as of the last count have witnessed 152,183 pageviews during that time period. My postings of late have been few and far between, and I believe that there are two reasons for this gap.  I'll share those in a moment.

     I have contemplated bringing "Journey Thoughts" to its completion, not because I have lost interest, but because of the remorse I feel at not being faithful to publishing my thoughts and feelings.  But every time I "make up my mind", I suffer regrets and am not ready to let go.  So, I begin today's post with the same word … GREETINGS!

     I mentioned that two things occurred in my life that have created a block to my creative spirit.  The first of these was retirement from active ministry as a pastor which occurred in July of 2017.  A priests' life in retirement, while not boring, is very different than it was in active ministry.  Your experiences are greatly lessened even though your doctors' appointments seem to increase as the years go on.

     The second factor that has affected my posts is the child sexual abuse scandal by priests that has rocked the Church.  Being a priest, albeit a retired priest, in this day and age is a challenge that covers a wide range of emotions.  There have been many days when I wanted to sit at the computer and type out my thoughts, but those thoughts were so scattered and caught up in varying emotions that it was hard to make sense of them.  Add to that putting my thoughts to written form may not be the most prudent in this crazy world in which we live.

     I hope to endeavor to do so and to make sense of my roller coaster of emotions and spiritual anguish.

     For now, as we begin this month of November, we began with the Feast of All Saints.  I shared with the men at Neumann House (our retirement residence) at Mass that morning that the day was not only a celebration of our spiritual heros and heroines who the Church has recognized as saints.  Celebrating their lived expression of holiness would be enough to inspire us and lift our spirits.

     But the Feast of All Saints is also about us ... about the universal Call to Holiness that we received in the waters of Baptism and have fleshed out over the years with the power and grace of the Holy Spirit.  It is less about setting our vision on achieving the goal of holiness by the end of our lives and more about acknowledging Jesus and walking with him on this life's journey.  Holiness is not about the end of our life ... it is about this moment in our lives.  And all of us, who begin our journey with nothing, as sinners on our knees before a just and merciful God, are, like Zacchaeus of last Sunday's Gospel, invited by Jesus to come down and open our homes ... to open our lives to him, for he desires to dine with us.  He chooses us ... he blesses us ... he embraces us with his love.  And that brings us holiness, the sanctity of the Divine transforming the human and helping us realize that we are made "in the image and likeness" of God.