Letter to the Editor: Jesuits Offer Lame Excuse for Handling of Priests Accused of Sex Abuse

Press Herald
January 18, 2019

https://www.pressherald.com/2019/01/18/letter-to-the-editor-jesuits-offer

In releasing the names of priests accused of sexual abuse, a Jesuit spokesman offered an implausible justification for a years-long cover-up, a reader says. Associated Press/Jacqueline Larma

The USA Northeast Province of Jesuits released a list of 50 priests credibly accused of sexual abuse that includes seven priests who worked at Cheverus High School in Portland.

In his statement announcing the release of the names, the Northeast Jesuit provincial, the Rev. John Cecero, S.J., tries to convince us that if he and his fellow Jesuits had known better, they’d have done better.

That is, known better about not letting a pedophile rape a kid a second, third or fourth time.

Here’s what Father Cecero wrote in part in his statement: “We did not know any best practices to handle these violations many decades ago and regrettably made mistakes along the way.”

Which raises the question: What caring parent, whether it be yesterday or 50 years ago, needs some kind of “best practice” model to know instinctively that if their child is being physically or sexually abused, or harmed in any way, the parent immediately calls the police, notifies authorities and ensures that the person is removed from all access to their child?

Father Cecero is a highly educated Jesuit priest. In fact, he has a doctorate in psychology.

Yet, by his words, Father Cecero diminishes himself and all of us who are Jesuit-educated by offering such a flimsy and transparent excuse in response to decades of the cover-up and concealment of sex crimes against children by the Jesuits.