Editorial: Release of Clergy Abuse Records May Help Rebuild Trust

Green Bay Press-Gazette
July 9, 2013

http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20130709/GPG0602/307090357/Editorial-Release-clergy-abuse-records-may-help-rebuild-trust

Last week, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee released an estimated 6,000 pages of documents related to clergy sex abuse. It is believed this is only a tenth of all the information given to victims’ attorneys during litigation.

But those 6,000 pages confirmed what many had talked about — some priests preying on parishioners, officials publicly denying it while privately covering it up and moving abusers to other parishes. And they included some revelations, such as payments to priests and the legal, but questionable, transfer of $57 million to a trust that would provide “protection of these funds from any legal claim and liability.”

While the accusations of clergy sexual abuse in the Catholic Church are not new, the documents renewed some of the bitterness many have felt toward the church.

It’s hard not to be upset when the church questioned the integrity of many of the victims while offering some priests accused of abuse buyouts of $20,000 — $10,000 when they applied to leave and $10,000 when the pope dismissed them.

It’s hard not to be upset when these priests were unleashed upon unsuspecting flocks and abuse was denied, and then-Archbishop Timothy Dolan sought leniency for abusive priests who were old or ill. Abusers were given the benefit of the doubt; accusers were simply doubted.

It’s hard not to be upset when the archdiocese, instead of doing the right thing, set up a no-settlement policy after a state Supreme Court ruling in 1995 that said the First Amendment protected the church from negligence lawsuits. Why should they be protected from legal action for sexually assaulting people?

It’s hard not to be upset when those abused sued the archdiocese only to have the case tossed because too much time had passed and then have the archdiocese sue them for court costs.

It’s hard not to be upset in cases where criminal acts were committed and law enforcement was not called.

The clergy sexual abuse scandal put the church in the position of defending itself and its financial well-being, but in order to do that it had to take on the accusers — its parishioners.

The abuse and its cover-up have obviously hurt the victims, and in no way do we want to minimize their ordeal, but the scandal has tarred priests who have done no wrong.

The accused represent a minority of priests. The majority of priests have helped their parishioners in good times and bad, have served faithfully and lawfully, and have spoken out against the abuse and the abusers.

They have not taken advantage of the trust given to them, nor tarnished the high regard in which they are held by Catholics.

They must persevere as well.

But the victims who want to know the details deserve to know the details. The victims who have allegations of abuse deserve to be heard.

The records may have been made public as part of a deal in federal bankruptcy court, but insight into the level of abuse and how it was handled has been long overdue.

With a full accounting of what happened, guilty parties can be held responsible and victims can be fairly compensated.

More records should be released. Those made public by the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will hurt the church, but in the end they may repair its reputation and help rebuild trust.