MISSOURI
Columbia Daily Tribune
By KIM DILLON
Published Sunday, January 2, 2005
Members of Voice of the Faithful Mid-Missouri, a group of lay Catholics in the Diocese of Jefferson City concerned about the sexual abuse crisis in the church, read with outrage and sadness the recent St. Louis Post-Dispatch series about abuse at St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Hannibal called "Secrets, Sins and Silence." We offer our prayers and support to all abuse survivors and their families. Unfortunately, the history of abuse at the seminary is not news to us, nor is the inept handling of the situation by bishops and diocesan officials, past and present.
Some have defended the diocese, claiming that a few "bad apple" priests are the only problem, or that the enemies of the church are on the attack again, or that sexual abuse happens elsewhere in society, or that not every seminarian was abused.
We, however, believe the core issue is that sexual abuse occurred and the diocese failed to pursue justice.
The unwillingness of the institutional church to accept responsibility, truly repent and meaningfully reform is sinful. Our frustrations can be summarized in one question: What will the Diocese of Jefferson City do to atone for its sins?
Posted by kshaw at January 2, 2005 02:06 PM