INDIANA
National Catholic Register
Matthew Bunson
The U.S. Bishops began their annual spring meeting on Wednesday, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and while it brought little fireworks such as can occur at their longer annual fall gathering, the day was not without poignancy and a powerful apology from the bishops for clergy sex abuse.
The spring meetings have drawn little media attention over the years, overshadowed by the fall session and slightly hampered by the limited number of public sessions. Nevertheless, in a time of heightened political, social, moral and economic challenges, there is no respite from the issues facing the Church in the United States. …
Clergy Sex Abuse
As they have for the last fifteen years, the bishops also devoted time to the seemingly never-ending tragedy of clergy sex abuse. National Review Board chair Dr. Francesco Cesareo delivered a moving annual progress report on the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. While he praised the bishops for the immense progress over the last decade in curbing the scourge of clergy abuse and in creating a safe environment in dioceses of the United States, he called on the bishops to remember that sexual abuse of minors by clergy is “not a thing of past” and that the care of the victims must remain paramount.
Based on diocesan audits conducted between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016, the latest report revealed that 1,232 survivors of child sexual abuse by clergy came forward with 1,318 clerical abuse allegations in 132 Catholic dioceses and eparchies. The alleged abuse occurred from the 1940s to the present day.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the USCCB, also announced the appointment of four new members to serve on the review board: Amanda Callanan, director of communications for the Claremont Institute; Suzanne Healy, a former victims assistance coordinator for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Dr. Christopher McManus, a Virginia physician; and Eileen Puglisi, former director of the Office for the Protection of Children and Young People in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y.
The Cardinal wrote in a letter to the newly appointed members, telling them, “The National Review Board plays a vital role as a consultative body assisting me and the bishops in ensuring the complete implementation and accountability of the Charter… The whole Church, especially the laity, at both the diocesan and national levels, needs to be engaged in maintaining safe environments in the Church for children and young people.”
The first day ended with yet another profound moment. The bishops gathered at Ss. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis for a Mass of Prayer and Penance for survivors of sexual abuse within the Church. Held in response to a call from Pope Francis for all episcopal conferences across the world to have a Day of Prayer and Penance for victims of clergy sexual abuse within the Church, the somber Mass included an apology to victims and an act of penance and humility during which the bishops knelt and recited a commemorative prayer written for survivors of abuse.
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