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Quik-Click Guide
What To Do If You Are
a Victim
What the Archdiocese Is Doing
What the U.S. Bishops Are Doing
Reflections
on the Sex Abuse Crisis
What to Do If Your Priest Is Accused
_____________________________________________________________________
What to Do If You Are
a Victim of
Sexual Abuse
by Church Personnel
The Catholic community as well as the wider community continues
to suffer the devastating consequences of the sexual abuse of
minors by priests and other church personnel. We continue to
grieve and to pray for the victims of this abuse and for their
families, and for all who have been injured or hurt by the
scandal. As Pope John Paul II said, the sexual abuse of
children and young people "is rightly considered a crime by
society; it is also an appalling sin in the eyes of God."
The pastors and pastoral staff members of the Waterloo parishes
re available to visit with anyone, including victims and family
members, who wish to discuss any aspect of the abuse scandal in
a private and confidential way.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of sexual abuse
by a priest, deacon, or individual
representing the Catholic
Church there are several
things you can do:
•
You may contact the appropriate law enforcement agency to
determine if the
abuse falls within the statute of limitations
in the jurisdiction in which the
offense occurred.
•
You may contact local child protection agencies, a private
attorney, or a
support group.
•
You may contact a victim assistance coordinator in the
diocese where the
abuse occurred.
In the Archdiocese of Dubuque, professional Victim
Assistance Coordinators are available to receive reports of
abuse, help victims contact civil authorities, and provide
referrals for spiritual care, mental health services, social
services, and support groups.
Archdiocese of Dubuque Victims Assistance Coordinators
Dr. Thomas Anderegg (phone 563-556-1225)
Joan Hoffmann (phone 866-319-4636)
These Victim Assistance Coordinators are under contract to
provide services to the Archdiocese;
they are not employees of the Archdiocese.
• You may also report abuse to:
Archdiocese of Dubuque Office of Child Protection (phone
800-876-3546)
Iowa Child Abuse Reporting Hotline (phone 800-362-2178)
_____________________________________________________________________
What the Archdiocese is Doing
Sexual Misconduct Policy (1993)
Policy for the Protection of Minors (2006)
Annual Compliance Reports and Audits
Archbishop's Public Apology/April 10, 2008
Table of Accused Priests
What The U.S. Bishops Are Doing
Text
of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People
Annual
Report on the Implementation of the Charter
List
of Victim Assistance Coordinators in U.S. Dioceses
Response of U.S. Catholics to the Abuse Crisis/CARA Survey
2002
______________________________________________________________________
Reflections on the
Sex Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church
The entire Catholic community is
affected in one way or another by the sex abuse of minors by
church ministers. Although the effect of the crisis on the
general Catholic population pales in comparison to the
devastating personal impact felt by the victims and their
families, all of us struggle to make sense out of this tragedy
and crime. We offer these reflections to help
Catholics, particularly those who are not immediately or
personally involved, address the wide range of emotions and
reactions which the abuse scandal evokes.
The
opinions and facts expressed in these reflections do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of, or
constitute an admission
of fact by, the pastors or staff members of the Catholic
parishes in Waterloo or the Archdiocese of Dubuque.
______________________________________________________________________
Most
Rev. Jerome Hanus OSB
Archbishop of Dubuque
It has been
almost five years since the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops met in Dallas, Texas, to address the issue of clergy
sexual abuse of minors. Out of that meeting came the framework
for all dioceses throughout the United States to develop
programs to reach out to victims of clergy sexual abuse and also
to provide a safe environment for all God’s children. The
Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People
included four main goals to guide our programs:
1. To Promote Healing and Reconciliation With
Victims/Survivors of Sexual
Abuse of Minors.
2. To Guarantee an Effective Response to Allegations of
Sexual Abuse of
Minors.
3. To Ensure the Accountability of Our Procedures.
4. To Protect the Faithful in the Future. . . .
In the name of the entire Archdiocese, I
again express my profound sorrow for what victims have endured.
It is my hope that the support and understanding that have been
offered to victims will give them a sense of affirmation and
validation.
Some members of
the Church and of the wider public have doubts and objections in
regard to the allegations and the monetary settlements. I urge
all to be understanding and sympathetic. The abuse perpetrated
by Church personnel was awful and cries to heaven for
vengeance. I grieve particularly for the victims whose faith in
God has been weakened or destroyed by the abuse. I hope and
pray that trust in the Church may not be lost forever.
In closing, I ask
all parishes to continue to include victims and survivors of
sexual abuse in their prayers. May God grant us an increase in
compassion, understanding, and resolve.
The
full text of the Archbishop’s annual report, which explains
actions taken by the Archdiocese to comply with the
Charter for the Protection of
Children and Young People, is available online at:
<
www.arch.pvt.k12.ia.us/Protection/Protectionhome.html >
______________________________________________________________________
Friar Jack Wintz, O.F.M.
Columnist and former editor of St. Anthony
Messenger Press.
Like
many of you, my heart is heavy whenever I read,
see or hear media reports and commentaries about
clergy sexual abuse and the Catholic Church.
Although I don’t feel qualified to comment in an
expert way on this complicated issue, I do want
to respond to the concerns, frustration and even
anger that many of you have expressed….
As others have pointed out, the greatest
scandal on the part of the Church is our failure
to put the child victims and their families
first. In some dioceses, unfortunately,
Church leaders have made the cover-up of these
scandals and the offending priests their most
important priority. How did we get our
priorities reversed in this way?
Into our Catholic hierarchical system, at
least in some instances, has seeped the tendency
and practice of covering up faults. The system
seems to give those higher up such importance,
dignity and sacredness that their reputation
must be protected at all costs. Even those at
the bottom often “buy into” this layered
arrangement that tends to give special privilege
to those on top. If we look at the Gospels,
however, we notice that this was not the mindset
of Jesus. He often called those in leadership to
task for giving scandal or laying oppressive
burdens on those in their charge. He told those
in leadership to be servants of the others….
One consequence of the clergy sex-abuse
scandal is that the faulty priorities of the
hierarchical system have now been unmasked for
the whole world to see, and changes will have to
be made. Structures of privilege, secrecy and
protection from blame seem to be unraveling
before our eyes.
Meanwhile, the Church majority, made up of
laymen and laywomen and their children, are
beginning to see their rights and dignity
properly recognized. They are more and more
seeing themselves not simply as servants of the
higher-ups whose only role in the Church is to
pray, pay and obey. Now they are more fully
aware that their voices deserve to be heard and
respected as they claim their rightful place in
the Church envisioned by Vatican II….
Despite our failures as a Church regarding
the tragic sexual abuse of children, it’s
helpful to examine the issue from a wider
perspective. Clergy sexual abuse is an issue
that extends well beyond the Roman Catholic
Church and contains more complexities than meet
the eye….
Even an institution as simple as the family
tends to be self-protecting and secretive
regarding abusive behavior within it own ranks.
I think it is generally agreed that most cases
of sexual abuse of children happens within the
family. The perpetrators often are older family
members, relatives, family friends,
babysitters. The first instinct is often for
the family leaders to keep sexual abuse from
going public. We know, of course, that such
cover-ups are not right, especially if the
victims remain at risk. Yet we all recognize the
temptation most people have to cover up mistakes
and sins of which they are ashamed.
This is all the more true as we explore
more complex institutions—athletic or youth
associations (e.g., teams or scouts),
educational institutions, police departments,
the military, religious institutions of all
kinds, political parties, medical associations,
psychological associations, big companies like
Enron, even news networks and TV conglomerates.
Most institutions and power structures try to
protect their reputations and keep their secret
sins hidden. Again this is not right. Those
victimized by such organizations should be
protected and the offenders reported and brought
to justice. One wonders at times, however, why
the media and other groups sometimes go after
certain offenders and systems with more fervor
and fury than they go after others….
Another observation I heard or read within
the last two weeks, which brought me a bit of
light regarding the tendency on the part of
Church leaders to give priest offenders a second
chance, is that the Gospel of Jesus teaches us
to be forgiving. It is not surprising that those
who have not digested the truth about pedophilia
being an incurable disorder and who have been
trained to be forgiving could err on the side of
being too lenient with sex offenders—a deadly
mistake that hopefully is being quickly
corrected in the wake of the current scandals.
A final note for us during this Easter season:
We do not face these problems and crises alone.
The Risen Jesus, who has triumphed over sin and
death, breathes the Spirit of forgiveness and
healing upon us and walks with us toward
Pentecost.
Fr. Wintz’s remarks appeared in his
online newsletter, “Friar Jack’s
E-Inspirations,”
on April 8, 2002. You can read
the full text of his comments at:
www.americancatholic.org/e-News/FriarJack/fj040802.asp
.
______________________________________________________________________
Fr. Ronald Rolheiser, OMI
Syndicated Columnist
…As
Christians we’re asked to carry this scandal biblically. What
does that mean? Carrying something biblically means a number of
interpenetrating things:
1. Name the moment. Not everything can be fixed or cured, but it needs to be named
properly…. This scandal, this particular time in our history as
a Catholic Church in America, is a moment of humiliation, a
moment of humbling, a moment of pruning. We must begin the
process of healing by clearly, and with courage, naming that….
2. The call to
compassion. …To carry
something biblically means, first of all, to re-ground ourselves
in the non-negotiables of Christian compassion – respect,
tolerance, patience and graciousness…. It’s easy to be
selective in our sympathy, offering our compassion at those
places where we feel good and clean when we give it and
withholding it from those people and places where we don’t get a
good, clean feeling when we offer it….
3. Healing, not
self-protection and security.
…[H]ealing, not self-protection and security, must be our real
preoccupation….To protect the innocent and to bring about
healing and reconciliation. Everything else (worries about
security, lawsuits, and the like) must come afterwards. Part of
this is how we must understand the role of the media and press
in all of this…. They are not the problem….Granted that
sometimes their coverage hasn’t been fair, but that’s ultimately
not the issue. Beneath it all, the substance is true.
4. Carrying this
crisis is not our primary ministry and not a distraction to our
ministry. Carrying
this scandal properly is something that the church is invited to
do right now for the sake of the culture….There are very few
things that we are doing as Christian communities today that are
more important than helping the world deal with this issue….
Crucifixions are never easy and they exact real blood! It might
well be worth it in the long run if we can help our world come
to grips with this.
5. Painful
humiliation as a grace-opportunity.
Purification and pruning,
humiliation leading to humility…. Today the Body of Christ is
not just being humbled, it’s being humiliated and we have the
chance to come to humility through that. This is an important
grace-opportunity for all of us inside the church. Biblically,
it’s our “Agony in the Garden.”
6. To carry this
scandal biblically asks of us “a new song.”
[What is] being asked of us in
this scandal [is this]: Can we love, forgive, reach out, and be
empathic in a new way? Can we have compassion for both the
victim and the perpetrator? Can we have compassion for some of
our church leaders who made some blunders? Can we give our
money when it seems we are paying for someone else’s sin? Can
we help carry one of the darker sides of our history without
protesting its unfairness and distancing ourselves from it? Can
we carry a tension that’s unfair to us for the sake of a greater
good?...
7. We need to
“ponder” as Mary did.
…To ponder in the biblical sense
means to hold, to carry, and transform tension so as not to give
it back in kind…. To ponder biblically is to be like a water
purifier; it takes in all kinds of impurities with the water,
but it holds the impurities inside of itself and gives back only
the pure water. That is what Mary did under the cross…. And
that is what we are called upon to do…and that is what we are
called upon to do in helping to carry this scandal biblically,
namely, to hold, carry and transform this tension so as not to
give back in kind – hurt for hurt, bitterness for bitterness,
accusation for accusation, anger for anger, blame for blame.
8. We must reaffirm
our faith in God as Lord.
…Our prayer in times of crisis
must be a prayer that precisely affirms that God is still Lord
of this world…. We need, in the midst of this crisis, to affirm
our faith in the lordship of God. God is still firmly in
charge…. The church isn’t dying. Crucifixions don’t end life,
they lead to new, enriched life.
9. We must
patiently stay with the pain.
This is a dark night of the soul
which is meant, like every dark night of the soul, to stretch
the heart. To be stretched is always painful and our normal
impulse is always to do something to end the pain…. But the
pain won’t go away until we learn the lesson that it’s meant to
teach us…. And what is it meant to teach us, beyond a new
humility? That there is a terrible pain within the culture
right now, the soul-devastation caused by sexual abuse, and we,
the church, are being asked to be like Christ, namely, to have
our flesh be food for the life of the world so that this wound
might be opened to healing.
The
complete text of Fr. Rolheiser’s essay is available online at:
<www.ronrolheiser.com/pdfs/scandal.pdf
>.
______________________________________________________________________
For
Futher Reflection
Readers
may find the following articles helpful for further reflection.
The opinions and facts expressed in these articles do not
necessarily reflect the opinions of, or constitute an admission
of fact by, the pastors or staff members of the Catholic
parishes in Waterloo or the Archdiocese of Dubuque.
•
“The
Catholic Church and Child Sexual Abuse” in America
magazine, April 22, 2002.
<
http://www.americamagazine.org/gettext.cfm?textID=1721&articleTypeID=1&issueID=369
>
•
St. Anthony Messenger
(special issue) June 2003.
<
http://www.americancatholic.org/News/ClergySexAbuse/ >].
• "Healing the Wound" by Eugene Kennedy in
National Catholic Reporter, October 3, 2003.
<http://natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2003d/100303/100303a.php>
•
“On Carrying a Scandal
Biblically” by Fr. Ron Rolheiser.
<
www.ronrolheiser.com/pdfs/scandal.pdf
>
You may also find
some of Fr. Rolheiser syndicated columns helpful, even if they
do not directly address the abuse issue. You can access past
columns at:
<
www.ronrolheiser.com/columnarchive
>
•
“Beyond Crime and Punishment” by
Fr. Richard Rohr in the July/August issue of Sojourners
magazine.
<
http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj0207&article=020711>
•“Answering Scandal
with Personal Holiness” homily by Fr. Thomas Landry
<
http://catholiceducation.org/articles/religion/re0526.html
>
•
Continuing coverage in U.S.
Catholic magazine.
<http://uscatholic.claretians.org/site/PageServer?pagename=usc_webspecial_sexabusecrisis>].
•
Fr. Jack Wintz’s “Friar Jack’s E-Inspirations”
for April 8, 2002.
<www.americancatholic.org/e-news/FriarJack/fj040802.asp
>].
•“Prayer in a Time
of Church Crisis” by the Daughters of St. Paul.
<http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/church/prayer/guidedpryerfidelity.html>
______________________________________________________________________
What to do
if your priest is
accused
of abuse
These
suggestions were prepared by the Survivors Network of those
Abused by Priests (SNAP).
1) Remain
open-minded.
The natural human instinct is to recoil from alleged horror, and
to immediately assume that the allegations are false. But the
overwhelming majority of abuse disclosures prove to be true.
In every case, the proper and Christian response is to remain
open-minded.
2) Pray for all
parties involved.
Every person involved deserves and needs prayerful support.
3) Let yourself feel
whatever emotions arise.
You may feel angry, betrayed, confused, hurt, worried and sad.
These are all natural, "typical" responses to an allegation of
sexual abuse. None of these feelings are inappropriate or "bad."
Don't "kick yourself" for feeling any of these emotions.
4) Remember that
abuse, sadly, is quite common.
It's far more widespread than any of us would like to believe.
Experts estimate that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 9 boys will be
molested in their lifetimes.
5) Don't try to
"guess" or figure out who the accuser is.
Abuse victims, like rape victims, need their privacy to recover
from their trauma. Openly speculating about who is alleging
abuse is essentially gossiping, and helps to create a hostile
climate that will keep other victims (even those abused by
non-clerical perpetrators) from coming forward.
6) If you do know the
victim(s), protect his/her confidentiality.
There are many good reasons why abuse victims are unable to
publicly come forward. Often, the person wants to keep his/her
elderly parents or young children from suffering too. Don't
compound the pain he/she is in by disclosing his/her identity to
others.
7) Understand that
abuse victims often have "troubled" backgrounds (i.e. drug or
alcohol problems, criminal backgrounds, etc.)
Instead of undermining the credibility of accusers, these
difficulties actually enhance their credibility. (When someone
is physically hurt, there are almost always clear signs of harm;
so too with sexual abuse. The harm is reflected largely in
self-destructive behaviors. One might be skeptical of a person
who claimed to have been run over by a truck but showed no
bodily injury. Similarly, one might be skeptical of an alleged
molestation victim who always acted like a "model citizen.")
8) Don't allow the
mere passage of time to discredit the accusers.
Stress to your fellow parishioners that there are many good
reasons why abuse victims disclose their victimization years
after the crime. In most instances, victims come forward when
they are emotionally able to do so, and feel capable of risking
disbelief and rejection from precious loved ones, including
family members, church leaders, other authorities, and fellow
Catholics. Sometimes,
they are psychologically able to do so only after their
perpetrator has died, moved or been accused by someone else.
Sometimes, they have been assured that their perpetrator would
never be around kids again, but have learned that this isn't the
case. (In other cases, it takes years before victims are
able to understand and/or acknowledge to themselves that they
have been sexually violated. This is a common defense
mechanism.)
9) Ask your family
members and friends if they were victimized.
Many times, abuse victims will continue to "keep the secret"
unless specifically invited to disclose their victimization by
someone they love and trust. Even raising this topic can be very
uncomfortable. But it must be done. It may be very awkward and
your family members may even act resentful at first. But soon
they will remember that you really care about them, and will see
your question as a sign of that care.
10) Mention the
accusation to former parishioners and parish staff now living
elsewhere.
They may
have information that could prove the guilt or innocence of the
priest facing allegations. This is especially important because
sometimes abuse victims or their families move away after
experiencing abuse.
11) Contact the
police or prosecutors.
It's your duty as a citizen to call the proper civil authorities
if you have any information (even if it's "second hand" or
vague) that might help prove the guilt or innocence of the
accused. It's your duty as a Christian to help seek justice and
protect others from harm. Remember: abuse thrives in secrecy.
Exposing a physical wound to fresh air, clean water and sunlight
can be healing. Exposing sexual crimes is also ultimately
healing. And remember that police and prosecutors are unbiased
professionals with the skills and experience needed to ascertain
whether an allegation is true or false.
12) Don't allow other
parishioners to make disparaging comments about those making the
allegation.
Remember, the sexual abuse of children has terribly damaging
effects. As a Christian, you want to help prevent such
victimization. And you want anyone who is in pain to get help as
soon as possible. Critical comments about those who make
allegations only discourage others who may have been hurt. Such
remarks prevent those who need help from reaching out and
getting it. Show your compassion for abuse victims. Tell your
fellow parishioners that hurtful comments are inappropriate.
Remind them that they can defend their priest without attacking
his accuser.
13) Educate yourself
and your family about sexual abuse.
There are many excellent books and resources on the subject.
There are also good books specifically about molestation by
clerics (Jason Berry's Lead Us Not Into Temptation, Frank
Bruni & Elinor Burkett's Gospel of Shame, and the Boston
Globe's Betrayal). Check out the web site for clergy
abuse victims: SNAPnetwork.org
14) Support the
accused priest PRIVATELY.
Calls, visits, letters, gifts, and prayers - all of these are
appropriate ways to express your love and concern for the
accused priest. Public displays of support, however, are not.
They only intimidate others into keeping silent. In fact, it is
terribly hurtful to victims to see parishioners openly rallying
behind an accused priest. You may want to publicly defend a
priest, collect funds for the priest's defense, and take similar
steps. Please don't. Express your appreciation of the priest in
a direct, quiet ways. Even if the priest is innocent, somewhere
in the parish is a young girl being molested by a relative or a
boy being abused by his coach or youth leader. If these children
see adults they love and respect publicly rallying around
accused perpetrators, they will be less likely to report their
own victimization to their parents, the police, or other
authorities. They will be scared into remaining silent, and
their horrific pain will continue.
15) Don't be blinded
by the pain you can see.
The trauma of the accused priest, and those who care about him,
is obvious. You can usually see it in his face, his posture, and
his actions. But please try to keep in mind the trauma of the
accuser too. Because you rarely see his/her pain directly, it's
important to try and imagine it. This helps you keep a balanced
perspective.
16) Try to put
yourself in the shoes of the alleged victim.
It's easy to identify with the priest. Most Catholics have met
dozens of priests and know them as warm and wonderful
individuals. On the other hand, few Catholics have met clergy
abuse survivors. In the gospels, Jesus calls us to identify with
the hurting, the vulnerable, and the innocent, the hurting. Try,
as best you can, to imagine the shame, self-blame, confusion and
fear that afflict men and women who have been victimized by
trusted religious authority figures.
17) Use this painful
time as an opportunity to protect your own family.
Talk with your children about "safe touch," the private parts of
their bodies, who is allowed to touch those parts, what to do if
someone else tries, and who to tell. Urge your sons and
daughters to have similar conversations with your grandchildren.
18) Turn your pain
into helpful action.
In times of stress and trauma, doing something constructive can
be very beneficial. Volunteer your time or donate your funds to
organizations that help abused kids or work to stop molestation.
19) Keep in mind the
fundamental choice you face.
On the one hand, at stake are the feelings of a grown up. On the
other hand, at stake is the physical, emotional, psychological,
spiritual and sexual safety of potentially many children. If one
has to err in either direction, the prudent and moral choice is
to always err on the side of protecting those who can't protect
themselves: children. Remember too that it's easier for an adult
to repair his reputation than for a child (or many children) to
repair his/her psyche and life. Another way to look at this:
Being falsely accused of abuse is horrific. But actually being
abused, then being attacked or disbelieved is far worse.
20) Ask your pastor
to bring in an outside expert or a therapist who can lead a
balanced discussion about sexual abuse.
Therapists understand and can answer the questions you and your
fellow parishioners are facing, and help you deal with the
emotional impact of this trauma too.
21)
Urge your bishop, pastor and other diocesan or parish employees
to follow these guidelines too.
Created 05.07 • Last Update 04.10.08 |