Diocese of Salt Lake City joins Church in combating abuse of minors

Intermountain Catholic

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Most Reverend John C. Wester

The sexual abuse scandal has rocked the Catholic Church in Europe in much the same way it did here in the United States in 2002. In fact, the aftershocks of the current revelations across the Atlantic are being felt quite strongly here, resurrecting some very painful wounds for lots of people but mainly for the victims of this terrible tragedy.

One feature of the media’s reporting now seems to be, on the part of some, a rush to judgment against Pope Benedict XVI and what part he may or may not have played in reassigning a priest guilty of pedophilia while Archbishop of Munich. These reports also try to say that he was soft on the crime of child abuse while head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. I find these "suggestions" unfortunate because the then-Cardinal Ratzinger and now Pope Benedict has a very clear record of dealing sternly with the abuse of children and young people, spearheading a very serious and clear response to this crime, especially in the promulgation of Sacramentorum Sanctitatis Tutela, a Motu proprio issued by Pope John Paul II in 2001 that enables the Church to act decisively and efficiently in dealing with sexual abuse cases. Indeed, Rod Dreher, in Beliefnet.com, has stated that the current pontiff has dealt with the abuse scandal better than any other pope. I think we would be better served by some of the media outlets if they stuck to what we know instead of making innuendos about matters of which precious little is known.

The media’s attention on the Pope disturbs me for another more important reason, one that I believe the Pope himself would agree with, namely, the revelations of sexual abuse of minors by clergy open up wounds for those abused, causing them to relive excruciatingly painful parts of their lives. Our first thoughts must always be of the victims as our hearts go out to them. Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI has personally met with abuse victims and offered them deeply compassionate words of profound regret. Father Ronald Rolheiser has described sexual abuse of minors as an "act that shreds the human soul." We will never know of the pain, suffering and life-long effects that such abuse has on a human being. It is incalculable. I have joined with many others in working with and listening to those who live with the scars of sexual abuse and their pain is immense. Even after decades have passed, these "survivors" still must contend with personal and relational difficulties in their lives.

Given the current revelations of sexual abuse emanating from Europe, I wish to once again apologize on behalf of this local Church of the Diocese of Salt Lake City to all who were victims of sexual abuse by a member of the clergy. Your trust was betrayed and, like Our Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane, the very ones you thought you could count on abandoned you and worse, harmed you greatly. I am deeply sorry for the pain you have suffered and I pray that the healing grace of our Risen Lord will be yours in abundance.

One of the important teachings of our Church is that the penitent, after confessing his or her sins, is always to make a "firm purpose of amendment." I want to assure everyone in our diocese that we have done just that, especially through our safe environment programs. The director of these programs is Colleen Gudreau, who is ably assisted by our Review Board, which is comprised of professionals in the health, law enforcement and judicial fields, to name a few. Our safe environment policies and procedures extend throughout the diocese and are part of every facet of church life. Those working with children, including the bishop and all clergy, have to have background checks. There are specific policies dictating how all church programs are to be run, from the classroom, to the basketball court, to field trips, to counseling sessions. These policies are reviewed regularly and they are audited continually. As a matter of fact, our diocese undergoes a regular audit by an independent firm hired by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). I am pleased that we have passed all our audits but we do not let down our guard at all. Ms. Gudreau is the "best of the best" in my view and she takes her work extremely seriously. She is a woman of great integrity and unswerving dedication. I am very grateful to her and each member of the Review Board.

On the national level, the Catholic Church continues to do all it can to protect children and young people from abuse. The USCCB has paid millions of dollars to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to probe the causes and context of the sexual abuse of minors. While we are ashamed of the sins of our past, we find hope in the fact that the Catholic Church has shown leadership in finding ways to combat the abuse of minors and in developing programs to ensure a safe environment for all our children.

Sadly, the sexual abuse of minors is a terrible tragedy that affects too many of our fellow citizens. One is too many! It is a scourge that is found throughout society. Indeed, last year alone, 772,000 children were abused in this country. Clearly, we have our work cut out for us. We must be ever vigilant in the protection of children and young people. We are all made in the image and likeness of God, an image found in its most precious yet vulnerable form in the face of a child.

For more information on Church officials’ response to the sexual abuse scandals, I have posted two articles online at www.icatholic.org. These articles are comments from Archbishop Jerome Listecki of Milwaukee and an article by Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. In addition, the Vatican has announced a special section on its Website with documents related to "Abuse of Minors. The Church’s Response." The URL is http://www.vatican.va/resources/index_en.htm.www.vatican.va/resources/index_en.html. These articles also are posted, along with two others, on the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s communications page, www.dioslc.org/ministries/communications-media.