ST. LOUIS (MO)
Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests
Dec. 16, 2019
Church leaders in the Diocese of Charlotte, North Carolina, announced in May that they would release a list of “credibly accused” clergy by the end of the year. Yet when talking about the impending release, the diocese’s current Vicar General continues to rely on disingenuous troupes, stating that the abuse of children by priests is a “thing of the past.”
Vicar General Patrick Winslow of the Diocese of Charlotte refers to clergy inflicted harm as a “thing of the past” in a recent interview. However, we believe when he is deliberately deflecting attention away from an ongoing problem whose roots have never been addressed by the Church. This is especially true considering his predecessor was found to be credibly accused of sexual misconduct with adults last month, and another Charlotte cleric was put on administrative leave just days ago after allegations of child sexual abuse were made against him.
A man in Fr. Winslow’s position can do much good, or much harm. His pronouncement, we fear, contributes to harm. Calling the clergy abuse scandal a “thing of the past” is a debunked myth that Catholic bishops and leaders have trotted out time and again since the Boston Scandal in 2002. Fr. Winslow should stop repeating these myths and instead look to the facts:
Vicar General Patrick Winslow of the Diocese of Charlotte refers to clergy inflicted harm as a “thing of the past” in a recent interview. However, we believe when he is deliberately deflecting attention away from an ongoing problem whose roots have never been addressed by the Church. This is especially true considering his predecessor was found to be credibly accused of sexual misconduct with adults last month, and another Charlotte cleric was put on administrative leave just days ago after allegations of child sexual abuse were made against him.
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