BishopAccountability.org
 
 

Open the Secret Files on Clergy Sexual Abuse of Minors in Western Washington

Seattle Times
February 1, 2016

http://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/open-the-secret-files-on-clergy-sexual-abuse-of-minors-in-western-washington/

Former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington Mike McKay, left, and former King County Judge Terry Carroll discuss their recommendations to the Seattle Archdiocese about child-sex-abuse cases. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times)

OPEN the secret files, Archbishop J. Peter Sartain.

The Archdiocese of Seattle last month took the long overdue act of naming 77 local clergy accused of sexual misconduct with minors. It should have happened in 2004, when a high-level review board comprised primarily of lay people suggested the diocese come clean.

Better late than never. But this was only a half-step toward repentance.

Two members of that layperson review board — former U.S. Attorney Mike McKay and former King County Superior Court Judge Terry Carroll, both prominent Catholics who’ve devoted their careers to justice — called on the archdiocese to release confidential files on the abusive priests.

Their questions are spot on. When did the abuse happened? To how many youths? At which specific parish?

Most important, the public and parishioners want to know who failed to act on credible reports of child abuse. Who knew what? And when?

Releasing the secret files would answer these questions. A full release — with the names of victims redacted — would also help heal the church and allow victims to move forward.

Other archdioceses already have opened their secret files. Portland and Los Angeles opened files as part of legal settlements. Chicago Archbishop Francis George did so voluntarily in the hopes of “bringing healing for victims.”

“We cannot change the past, but we hope we can rebuild trust through honest and open dialogue,” George said in 2014, before he retired.

Sartain took a meaningful step toward healing by releasing the names, and the archdiocese has provided counseling to victims.

“I will continue to pray for all survivors of sexual abuse, and deeply regret that vulnerable individuals in the church’s care have been harmed,” Sartain wrote in an open letter to parishioners.

But that should not be the end of it. The list itself was incomplete. It lacked at least four priests who are known abusers and did not include the names of lay employees in Catholic schools.

A full accounting of the clergy scandal in Seattle is past due.

Priests credibly accused of molesting youths are not owed a shred of privacy. The archdiocese itself waived their rights in releasing the list. Now, the archdiocese should stop protecting itself.

Open the secret files, Archbishop Sartain.

 

 

 

 

 




.

 
 

Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.