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  An Open Letter to All Survivors and to All Who Have Been Hurt by the Clergy Abuse Crisis

Safe Net
April 6, 2010

http://www.mysafenet.org/?q=node/74

[Healing and Spirituality]

UNITED STATES -- For many of us who endured the unspeakable crime of clergy sexual abuse, our memory of betrayal is once again triggered by the most recent allegations reaching all the way to the Vatican. We cannot erase the traumatic memory of our past. The expressions of horror, regret, and even deep denial are all around us. With every breaking news story we are once again confronted with our own personal terror. Though many of us today no longer follow any one religion, many more are still searching for a spiritual re-connection. What matters most is how we choose to respond to the crisis.

Spiritual and emotional health becomes critical during such a public retelling of our experience. We live with our pain and suffering on a daily basis. We cope as best we can. But the risk of re-injury on the world stage is greater than ever now. Caring for oneself is the first priority. It begins with compassion for ourselves and continues when we extend it to others. This is not the easy way out. It takes courage to advocate for understanding.

Every healing journey passes through friendly and dangerous territories alike. A certain measure of any recovery depends upon recognizing and responding to gestures of concern from others. If the ultimate communal goal is to help the greatest number, then a universal response is the most meaningful and effective. For those who give and for those who receive, a necessary change must occur that includes a willingness to respond compassionately.

This is no small pivotal movement in our shared memory. It encourages personal and collective healing by challenging us to begin the shift from within. The cries we hear are not ours alone. The clergy abuse crisis is systemic. It is also transformative. Out of a great evil can come a greater good. Many of us are working for fundamental reform while engaged in a process of deep, personal healing. The two are not mutually exclusive. Join us.

 
 

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