Vatican, Catholic diocese nationwide turning the page on sexual abuse in the church

By Katie Copple And Jetske Wauran
KMEG 14
February 24, 2019

https://bit.ly/2SXgAVA

News of Monday's announcement from the Diocese of Sioux City broke Sunday morning during Sunday Mass as the Diocese of Sioux City follows other Diocese nationwide in releasing names of abusive priests.

Sunday morning during services, parishioners were told of the impending Diocese announcement, along with more details of the investigation into the sexual abuse allegations.

The letter from Bishop R. Walker Nickless, which was given to Siouxland News, states that the first alleged sexual abuse incident occurred in 1948 and the last in 1995.

Bishop Nickless hopes that by releasing this list, the church can mark a new chapter in history in which Nickless commits to quote "a future of trust, openness and accountability."

He goes on to state that by releasing the names of the priests with credible allegations against them, the healing process can begin, showing the victims and their families that the church believes them.

The release of this list comes after years of accusations against the church here in Sioux City and worldwide.

In 2016, Siouxland Native Tim Lennon shared his story of being raped by a priest in the Sioux City church in the 1960s.

Lennon was just 12 years old.

Lennon, who is now the President of the Survivor Network of those abused by Priests, also known as SNAP, recalled his sexual abuse by Father Peter Murphy after the priest joined Blessed Sacrament in 1960.

Not long after Lennon shared his story, others abused at the hands of Murphy began coming forward.

In September of 2016, Lennon reached a settlement with the Diocese of Sioux City but continued to travel the world, urging survivors of abuse in the catholic church to come forward.

The Diocese has been moving towards healing and changing the conversation around sexual abuse in the church by holding public meetings and conversations in Siouxland.

This past December, Bishop Nickless met with the Iowa Attorney General about efforts to remove abusive priests from the diocese.

Now, Bishop Nickless says that the church is reporting all information regarding the abuse allegations and will be holding a Mass of Renewal at the Cathedral.

Just last year, Catholic leaders in Texas identified nearly 300 priests and others in the church credibly accused of sexually abusing children in 14 diocese within the state.

Some of those allegations dated back to the 1950s.

Texas is far from the only state uncovering these abuse allegations in recent months.

Pennsylvania released a report in August of 2018, naming more than 300 predator priests in the state dating back seven decades.

Officials in Illinois quickly followed suit, naming at least 500 catholic clergy in the state accused of sexually abusing children.

In total, more than 50 diocese in the U.S. have released the names of more than 1,200 priests and catholic leaders accused of abuse.

At the Vatican, Pope Francis held a summit, promising that guidelines used by the national bishops conferences to prevent abuse and punish perpetrators will be reviewed and strengthened.

Francis vowed that the Roman Catholic Church would "spare no effort" to bring abusers to justice and will not cover up abuse.

But some victims, including Lennon, who traveled to Rome to share their stories of abuse, said they felt let down and urged the Church to remove members of clergy involved in the cover-up of sexual abuse cases.

I recently reviewed the comments of the pope. I was very disappointed that no action was taken. We feel that it's exceptionally important to take action, hopefully to remove some of those bishops that cover up sexual abuse or have sexually abused themselves.

Some Archbishops though, like Archbishop of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Hollerich, were happy with the way the pope and the church is moving forward with the allegations.

I have a very good feeling about it and also the speech that Pope Francis gave us after mass this morning was full of strength and very resolute so I think this meeting is not a finish up, it's a start.

After the conference, the Vatican says it will formulate follow-up measures to make sure all bishops return home knowing how to put anti-abuse procedures into place.