From the Mail:
August 28, 2018
Dear USCCB,
We are writing this letter on behalf of parishioners all over the world who are suffering from shock, disillusion, disgust and disappointment regarding the crisis in the church. What is adding to our pain is that no one in the Catholic church is addressing the issue. It is business as usual in parishes while we are suffering in silence wondering if the faith that we have adhered to for so long is a sham. How can the church be pro life and abusing children? How can priests be standing in persona Christi offering communion and abusing children? Are the sacraments such as holy communion really pure or have they been corrupted in the hands of some priests? How could the church hierarchy have dealt with allegations regarding the abuse of children in such a callous and cruel manner, shielding these pedophiles, moving them around and suppressing the truth?
Our hearts are broken. Jesus’ sacred heart is broken. How can we forget how passionate He was warning about the punishment linked to evil done to children.
These are some of the disturbing expressions being shared among us and we feel distraught, aimless and powerless as no one seems to be putting anything in place to deal with the wide ranging effects of this reprehensible mind boggling situation.
Meanwhile the pope is silent, the archbishops are silent, the bishops are silent, the parish priests are silent and members of the congregation have to sit in their pews silent, pretending that their world isn’t crumbling around them.
Is this a case of Nero fiddling while Rome is burning down?
We would like to know if the USCCB with the Vatican is working on a plan to address this issue.
We are trusting that we will see in a matter of days:
- The Pope as shepherd, addressing the issue of child sexual abuse in the church, with particular reference to the allegations that the Vatican knew of former Archbishop Mc Carrick’s predatory conduct of sexual harassment against seminarians yet he was elevated to such a powerful position. This address should be done in a comprehensive manner e.g. through a video to his flock of over two billion people all over the world.
- Directives to priests to speak to their congregations about the issue
- Providing guidelines to same on how to speak about the issue
- Ensuring that parishioners are given some sort of tangible reassurance that an action plan is being crafted for implementation in all parishes involving archbishops, bishops, parish priests and members of the laity to address the issue and come up with actionable solutions which may include the following:
- A global think tank which involves the laity and the curate for the development of an action plan to address the issue. This is extremely important because the abuse of children by the clergy involves both the curate and laity.
- Televised roundtables, seminars and ‘town halls’ where Catholic psychiatrists/psychologists, church abuse victims, the clergy and the laity (audience) discuss the issue of pedophelia in the church touching on issues such as the reasons for cover up, how the cover up impacts on victims and by extension the church, the rehabilitation measures for the victims, red flags for identifying existing and potential clerical predators.
- Set up a Vatican international hotline for child and adult victims of sexual abuse and or harassment. This hotline should be managed by BOTH the laity and the clergy.
- Set up international mobile numbers for witnesses and/or victims to send proof , if they wish of clerical abusers caught in the act via jpeg, video files. This may act as a deterrent.
- Formulate a clear universal policy on the procedures to be followed when these allegations are reported bearing in mind that the said procedures must be in the best interest of the minor victim and not the perpetrator.
Yours in Christ,
Yvette Guy
Judy Gordon