Your Turn: an Open Letter to Prosecutor Jeff Anderson

By Gerald C. Mertens
St. Cloud Times
March 22, 2017

http://www.sctimes.com/story/opinion/2017/03/22/your-turn-open-letter-prosecutor-jeff-anderson/99513900/

I am sharing an open letter I have sent to Jeff Anderson, the attorney who has played an important role in the effort to find justice for victims of sexual molestation by Catholic priests. I feel there is a message in my letter to Jeff that is important for readers of the St. Cloud Times, as I fear justice will not take place without a public opinion shift to correct this injustice.

A strong message is for our church to help those we — the Church — hurt.

"Hi Jeff Anderson,

We have never met. I do NOT believe that you have received many (or possibly any) letters like this; I would be pleasantly surprised if I am incorrect.

I wish that many thinking Catholics would express their gratitude to you for being a "conscience" inspiring us Catholics to do the right thing. As I see it, most Catholics who become aware of the damage that Catholic priests caused via their child sexual molesting have become aware of the seriousness because of your work. This harm has been swept under the rug for far too long by poor Catholic leadership.

Beyond just making us Catholics aware, your work on priest molestation gives "thinking Catholics" a much deeper understanding of a problem we must continue to work on. The need exists for an active contrition with a firm purpose (and a plan) for amending the wrong inflicted. It is NOT okay to escape doing something about the molestation of children and women. In good faith (perhaps even a pun), the Catholic Church should show they are trying to end this sexual abuse of children and poor treatment of women.

Church leadership has tried to hide the problem, so thank god for your persistence and dedication to enlighten us Catholics, and others, about the need for corrective action. Thus, I offer my sincere thanks to you for your role in bringing justice to this unfortunate situation. I have no official status in our Catholic church to officially thank you — I am among the lowest of the low people in the pews — but from down here, many of us are appreciative of your effort.

In a letter to Pope Francis, I recently described the issue as follows:

"...as I encountered the happenings here in Minnesota and elsewhere recently, another Catholic Church related issue has been painful to me. When our ordained "holy" priests sexually attack, molest, and damage children and women for life, we as Catholics do not need to be the 'jerks of the world' and say we will NOT help the harmed. Let us as Catholics help those that the wrongful priest hurt physically and psychologically. I see many thinking Catholics wanting to see the Catholic Church live up to its Christ-like role in the world and help those the Catholic Church priesthood harmed or destroyed. Let us start with dollars and help for the injured.

To hide behind legal trickery to keep parishes and dioceses poor while the large Catholic Church financially just reeks in money is offensive to knowledgeable Catholics. Financial bankruptcy vs. moral bankruptcy of a whole church is the issue at stake here to many thinking Catholics."

So, again, Jeff, thank you for your help."