More work needed in healing process

Ashtabula Star Beacon November 11, 2018
November 11, 2018

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Years into the sexual abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church, we still see signs that some in the Church’s institutional leadership still don’t get it.

Earlier this month, Bishop George V. Murry of the Youngstown Catholic Diocese released a list of about two dozen priests who have been “credibly accused” of sexual abuse of a minor in the Youngstown Diocese. Of those, almost one third spent time in Ashtabula County. But that fact was not known until several days after the names were released, which is an unfortunate microcosm for how the Church as an organization has handled the entire scandal.

Murry seems a genuine, sincere leader. Multiple times during the news conference on the subject he talked about how angry and embarrassed he was this issue had not been resolved. He had harsh words for some of his fellow bishops, saying any who helped in the cover up should be removed and calling out those who still fail to understand the damage sexual assault does to children.

But Church lawyers did him no favors with how they advised Murry and the diocese to handle the release of the names. The news conference took place on a Tuesday and only after a barrage of media members, including the Star Beacon, requested the priest’s assignments did Murry overrule the Church lawyers — who had told Murry to release only the names, whether they were alive or dead and whether they were alive or dead at the time accusations were made against them — and promise to release a full career background for each priest.

At the time the names were released, diocese officials could confirm only one priest who had spent time in Ashtabula County. But following publication the Star Beacon received calls as local churchgoers recognized names on the lists and wondered whether they were the same priests in question — and in every case they were.

This was incredibly frustrating for those who sought to see the Church improve its accountability. The point of releasing the list was to help victims, to make those who had not yet come forward feel they could safely do so and to show the public the Catholic Church was serious about healing these wounds. But not releasing the critical information about where the priests served added a barrier to all those efforts.

And, much like the Church’s coverup of the sexual assaults in the first place, had the diocese been properly advised by the Church, the story would have been in the news for one day following the release of the names. Instead, by not being as transparent as possible and withholding information crucial to potential victims coming forward, the story remained in the news for several days.

But now comes the question of what next. None of the information released by the Church has led to any prosecutions. Some of that, of course, comes from victims’ desire to move on and not go through an incredibly painful, and public, process. We completely respect that. But one barrier that can be removed is the state’s inexplicable statue of limitations. Sexual assault, like murder, should not be a crime where a perpetrator can run out the clock by shaming or scaring victims into silence for long enough to escape punishment.

As more dioceses around the state release their own lists, pressure on Ohio lawmakers to remove the statue of limitations should increase — and we urge everyone to call or write their state representatives and senators to push for such action. And the Catholic Church should either step aside when such efforts begin or, we would hope, use its considerable lobbying power to push for positive change. 

Unfortunately, while we firmly believe the vast majority of those who serve in the Catholic Church are good-hearted men and women of faith, too often they are let down by the Church as an institution, whose leaders either were part of the cover up or who have put the harm the scandal has done to the Church above the damage the abuse has done to the victims. We hope those good people of faith voice their desire for justice to their Church leaders, as well as state representatives.

The release of these names, imperfect as it was, must only be a start. The Catholic Church as an institution must be worthy of the men and women of faith who serve it, those who believe in it and, most importantly, the victims whose lives have been damaged. Clearly a path for justice, no matter how late, is an important step and the Church should be leading the call.