BishopAccountability.org

List of accused Catholic priests brings feeling of dread

By Carol Balinski
Readiing Eagle
March 01, 2019

https://bit.ly/2C03AnK

Carol Balinski

One of the recent reports from a state's Roman Catholic dioceses listing names of priests credibly accused of sexual abuse of children hit close to home for me.

When I saw news reports last month that New Jersey's dioceses had released the names of 188 priests and deacons, I felt compelled to go online to see if any of those priests had served at my childhood parish in the Camden Diocese. At the same time, I felt a sense of foreboding. There was one priest in particular whose name I dreaded seeing on the list. He was a priest whom my late mother had held in high regard and who presided at my wedding ceremony. Finding out he had been accused of sexual abuse would feel like a betrayal of my mother's trust in him.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I did not find that priest's name on the list. There was only one priest on the list who served my home parish, but his tenure came after I had left home for college and converted to Protestantism. I did not know him.

But, for a moment, I understood more fully what many Catholics and former Catholics in Berks County went through last August when the groundbreaking Pennsylvania grand jury report identified priests who had been accused of sexual abuse. Some, like me, may have felt relief at not finding names of beloved priests on the list. But, for others who saw names they recognized, feelings of disbelief, sadness, betrayal or anger must have been overwhelming.

The New Jersey list was the result of an internal review spurred by a law enforcement investigation announced last year after Pennsylvania led the way with its grand jury report.

According to www.vox.com, at least 13 other states and Washington, D.C., have launched investigations into allegations of sexual abuse or cover-ups involving the Catholic Church. In addition to New Jersey, those states are New Mexico, New York, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Vermont, Maryland, Florida, Virginia, Kentucky and Wyoming.

On Monday, the Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa, published a list of priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse involving minors.

The Diocese of Sioux City, Iowa, released the following statement Monday: "As you review the list, it is important to remember the accusations, while considered credible, are not the equivalent of conviction in a court of law. Many of the accused priests are deceased and cannot defend themselves."

An article on www.americamagazine.org (A Jesuit review) asks "If a priest is 'credibly accused' of sexual abuse, what does that mean? Depends whom you ask."

Apparently, the term can be interpreted differently in different dioceses.

Unfortunately, because Catholic Church officials, in most cases, did not disclose sexual abuse allegations to police at the time they occurred, there may never be closure for victims or those whose trust was betrayed. Some priests died before they could be "credibly accused"; others left the ministry quietly with no scandal ensuing until recently. And now there is a backlash against bishops and church officials who may have taken part in the cover-up or committed abuse themselves. In one of the most high-profile cases, the recently defrocked ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick was found guilty in a church trial of sexual abuse of minors. On Tuesday, the Vatican revealed the conviction in Australia of Australian Cardinal George Pell for molesting two choir boys in the 1990s. Pell, who had been the Vatican's economy minister, has been on a leave of absence since 2017.

At last week's clerical abuse summit, Pope Francis called for an "all-out" battle against the scourge of sexual abuse. The Vatican said it will publish a guidebook for bishops that will help them understand duties related to abuse accusations.

But a report on www.washingtonpost.com said the summit ended with few concrete remedies to the situation.

In November, the Vatican stopped U.S. bishops at their annual meeting from voting on new steps to hold bishops more responsible in abuse cases.

In a statement Sunday, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the U.S. church would go forward with ideas "in communion with the Holy See" and consider them at their next meeting in June.

As we approach the Lenten season, there could be no better time for Catholic Church officials to ponder the confession of sins and repentance.

Contact: cbalinski@readingeagle.com




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