Time for Healing and Reconciliation, by Archbishop John Vlazny, Catholic Sentinel [Oregon], May 31, 2007

Time for Healing and Reconciliation

By Archbishop John Vlazny
Catholic Sentinel [Oregon]
May 31, 2007

http://www.sentinel.org/articles/2007-22/15397.html

When June rolls around, understandably our parish and school communities shift into low gear. Folks take vacations. Many of us literally stop to smell the roses. It's a time for family, friends and all those leisure activities we dreamed about during the winter rain and chill.

But here in the Archdiocese of Portland we still must address some unfinished business before we allow the magic of summertime to ease our pressures and lighten our hearts. As I announced in my letter of April 17 to all our people, I am asking you to observe a day of prayer and fasting, an extraordinary Ember Day, for the healing of the victims of child sexual abuse and for their reconciliation with the church. I designated June 13, the feast of St. Anthony, for that purpose here in the Archdiocese of Portland. I shall preside at an archdiocesan service of healing and reconciliation at 7:30 p.m. in St. Mary's Cathedral. I encourage similar services in other parts of the diocese so that the people can come together in prayer. Through our prayer and fasting we ask our God to heal all the hurts and to help us move forward with compassion and care for all victims of this scandal.

As you know, I have not addressed the matter of child sexual abuse litigation in this column for many months. The mediators who were working very hard to help us achieve financial settlements with plaintiffs requested that all parties refrain from making public comments in this regard. Even the Catholic Sentinel was asked to withhold any news reports about the matter in its weekly issues. I have great respect for the mediators and I wanted to comply with their demands since the success they were experiencing in mediating our many claims and our disputes with the insurance carriers seemed to be progressing very well. But it was difficult in my role as your pastor and the leader of this church to refrain from communicating with you about these matters. I do hope you understand.

It is without question that the archdiocese has been preoccupied with resolving claims against us and our disputes with insurance companies. This became a pastoral priority without a recommendation from anyone. The situation demanded it. But another very important pastoral priority was our sincere effort, in consort with Catholic communities across the United States, to make sure that such crimes would not occur again. Cathy Shannon, our former Archdiocesan Director of Religious Education, has assumed the office of Child Protection and Victims Assistance Officer for the Archdiocese of Portland. She oversees the implementation of our Archdiocesan Child Abuse Policy which was first published in 2000 and eventually revised in 2002.

Back in 2002 the United States bishops developed a plan to address the problem of clergy sexual abuse of children. The plan, entitled Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was revised in 2005 and will be reviewed again in 2010 by the bishops. In order to assure compliance with the Charter on the part of the dioceses across this country, audits have been regularly conducted by the Gavin Group, a Boston-based company that monitors diocesan adherence to the bishops' plan. Our most recent audit occurred in 2006. The Archdiocese of Portland was found to be fully compliant with the demands of the bishops' Charter.

We Catholics can be pleased with the fact that we've done a lot to improve the situation. The audits demonstrate the fact that structures in place are indeed working. But our job is not finished. When victims come forward in the future, there must still be welcoming hands to reach out to them. Children will need our protection and safe environments in the future just as much as they need them today.

Throughout the efforts to settle claims filed against the archdiocese by victims of child sexual we were told that monetary compensation could never adequately satisfy their needs. Victims needed reassurance that they were not resented because they had the courage to step forward and tell a painful story from the distant past. They even wondered whether or not they could ever be welcomed back in our Catholic Church community. They sincerely desired public expressions of apology for all they had suffered.

Perhaps the most challenging demand was the release of personnel files of the accused. The media sometimes further dramatized this request by suggesting that these were documents kept in "secret archives." As personnel files they were certainly confidential, but whatever information was actually within our possession was kept in the personnel offices of the archdiocese and even in parish offices.

It became clear to many of us at the end of the mediation that only the release of appropriate personnel documents would truly satisfy the sincere demands made by plaintiffs and their lawyers for this information. Much of it was already on the public record because of the litigation and the bankruptcy procedure. I finally determined that the healing of victims and their reconciliation with the church was so important a priority for our evangelizing mission, our integrity and our credibility that we needed to comply. It is my heartfelt hope and prayer that the release of this information, as painful as it may be for families and friends of the accused, will indeed be a balm for all who have suffered so long as a result of their victimization during childhood.

All of this has been very costly in terms of the time, treasure and talents of all of us in this local church. But grievous wrongs had been committed and the scales of justice demanded an extraordinary effort to do everything we could to right the wrongs of the past, even though they were not our own wrongs.

Please do observe this extraordinary Ember Day on the feast of St. Anthony, June 13. You may not be able to participate in a prayer service at your parish but certainly you can take some time to pray at home alone or with the family. Fasting is another matter, one that also has been a traditional practice within the church as an expression of penitence. Typical church fasting calls for a modest diet of only one full meal and no snacking between meals. But an expanded notion of fasting for those who cannot conveniently change their dietary habits might include refraining from some pleasures or other leisure pursuits in solidarity with all Catholic people who earnestly seek healing and reconciliation for all parties involved.

Thank you for your continued cooperation and support as we live out this painful chapter in the life of our archdiocesan church. You are all in my prayers and I hope that I remain in yours as well. God bless.