PHILADELPHIA (PA)
Cathiolic 4 Change
Dec. 20, 2019
By a Philadelphia Survivor
There is a wonderful Christmas song by Amy Grant called “Grownup Christmas List”. It is one of my favorite and speaks to the true meaning of Christmas – compassion, happiness, peace. When listening to it the other day, I thought of my own Christmas List – a “Survivor’s Christmas List” for this year. My prayer is that all survivors receive at least one thing on this list:
– That people will stop making excuses regarding the cover-up of clergy abuse by saying “it was a different time back then” or “we viewed priests on a different level”. There is no excuse. Take ownership that there were crimes committed. Which leads me to #2 –
– It was a CRIME! It wasn’t a violation – an indiscretion – a lapse in judgement – a misunderstanding – an incident. IT WAS A CRIME. Let the media – the church – the commentators – the public – call it what it really was.
– That survivors, when they get the courage and strength to walk into a Roman Catholic Church, will not be subjected to prayers from the pulpit for the abusers of children that they may find forgiveness. Yes, this did happen at a mass that I attended. Abusers were prayed for in the same intention as those who were abused. NEVER put me in the same sentence as a criminal!
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