UNITED STATES
What They Knew
Msgr Stephen Rossetti spoke behind closed doors in February 2012 at the Gregorian University Conference on Clergy Sex Abuse at the Vatican.
Below is his speech, it is worth reading when compared to what the Jesuit “intellects” said in our previous post. It warrants even more comparison to what Msgr Rossetti says now. But then again, Msgr Rossetti is not a Jesuit, he just cleans up their mess and treats them.
Jesuits know it’s time to catch up on their sleep when Msgr Rossetti speaks.
Some significant points stated in the speech:
■-There is a complicated web of competing demands- pastoral, legal, clinical, and public relations which can confuse, confound and even paralyze. It is publicly well known that, at times, in our responding, we have failed.
■-“Our mistake was that we forgot that the victims are part of our flock too.” Unfortunately, when we focus on perpetrators and not on victims, there are devastating consequences. Perpetrators almost universally minimize, rationalize, project blame and deny the truth about their crimes. It is difficult for them to face the truth about their behavior; a behavior which Pope Benedict, on several occasions, has rightly called, “filth.”
■-But decades of experience tell us that the vast majority of allegations, over 95 percent, are founded. There is little benefit, and much to be lost, for a person to come forward and to allege that he or she was sexually molested by a priest. It takes courage to do so and a willingness to suffer blame and ridicule.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.