BEND (OR)
Catholic Sentinel
09/02/2005 Bishop Robert Vasa
BEND — Some years ago I asked that ongoing prayers, in the form of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy , be offered for a series of intentions related to the scandal of child sexual abuse in our country.
The first petition states: “We ask our Divine Lord to grant the grace of healing and forgiveness to all those who have been harmed or abused by Catholic priests in the past.” This is a prayer I continue to say every day. Many may not realize that there is rarely a day goes by that I do not think about, reflect upon or have some work to do in regard to some kind of abuse by priests from the distant past. Thus the prayers I offer each day are not just vague wishes but rather genuine pleas to the Almighty that wounded souls be healed, victim grievances addressed and lawsuits settled.
Ever since July of 2000, the Diocese of Baker has been under the constant pressure of lawsuits related to past events of child abuse by clergy, as have many other dioceses of the United States. This week we made some significant progress toward the resolution of the cases pending against the diocese, and I am guardedly optimistic that the remaining cases can be settled in the next several months.
This is certainly a prayer intention which I again strongly recommend to you, not only because of a desire to be done with lawsuits, but more especially so that those who are injured may begin a process of healing. The persistent presence of these lawsuits also continually reminds me of the need for vigilance in the present time.