The Voluntary Resignation of Newark Catholic Official Changes Little

By David Clohessy
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
May 25, 2013

http://www.snapnetwork.org/the_voluntary_resignation_of_newark_catholic_official_changes_little

The voluntary resignation of one Newark Catholic official changes virtually nothing.

It’s Myers, not Doran, who put an admitted child molesting cleric in a hospital job, live in rectories, work in other dioceses, let him be around kids, hear their confessions and go to Canada with them.

It’s Myers, not Doran, who refused to say “Fr. Fugee admitted sexually abusing a child, so he’s gone, no matter what the prosecutor does or doesn’t do.”

It’s Myers, nor Doran, who won’t post the names of his predator priests on his website or force them to live in remote treatment centers. It’s Myers, not Doran, who won’t reveal the names of the people on his abuse panel.

We could go on and on and on.

Finally, voluntary resignations have little or no impact. Forced demotions would, however. But virtually no Catholic official seems to be both clean and courageous enough to impose such consequences on a colleague or underling. So no one really gets punished, and nothing really changes.

Whether you are a parent, a principal or a president, if you want to show you’re serious and you insist on reform, you fire or demote people. You don’t let them voluntarily leave one post but keep their titles and jobs. Myers keeps making grudging, belated public relations moves and calling them “reform.”

That won’t cut it.