BishopAccountability.org
	Disconnect between Pew, Pulpit By Jennifer L.W. Fink Milwaukee Journal Sentinel February 25, 2008 http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=721776 My son was a student at St. Mary's/St. Andrew's Catholic School in LeRoy about four years ago when Father Franklyn Becker moved in next door. Becker, a former archdiocesan priest who has been accused of sexual abuse of children, quietly moved into the rectory, an unassuming brick home just feet from the school. The defrocked priest was within spitting distance of a school full of children ages 2 to 8. It was only after parents found out through the grapevine and complained that a letter was sent home. The letter urged parents to have compassion, to practice Christian charity and to remember that people are innocent until proven guilty. For me, the incident vividly highlighted the gap between the Catholic Church hierarchy and the laity. The church already was reeling from the sexual abuse scandal, but the hierarchy apparently didn't get it. Someone, somewhere, still thought it was a good idea for a priest accused of sexual abuse to live next to a school. While Becker may or may not be innocent, the fact remains that, as a parent, I can't afford to take a chance. I can't afford to gamble that he probably won't approach a child. I can't bet my child's safety on the fact that Becker was living with another priest. I support Becker's right to due process as well as his right to safe living conditions, but I cannot support his rights possibly at the expense of my child's safety. But how can the church understand that? The church itself is run by childless men, men who have never experienced parenthood and the fierce sense of parental love that guides parents to protect their children at all expense. I believe the church hierarchy lives in a bubble, concerned only with the church's interests. The disconnect between the pulpit and the pew is huge. Many, many factors contributed to the church's sexual abuse scandals (not the least of which were the prevailing attitudes of the time), but part of the problem could be the celibate male leadership. Can you imagine a father (vs. a Father) sending a man accused of sexually abusing children to minister in another parish? Do you really think a church led by family men and women would tolerate such behavior? I think not. At the very least, a church led by families would have understood immediately the outrage expressed by the public. They, too, would have imagined the horror of discovering that one of their own innocent children had been abused. They would have understood at once the breach of sacred trust and the outcry for justice. Instead, our celibate-led church continues to plod along. In response to the sexual abuse scandal, the Catholic Church instituted mandatory abuse awareness training for any adults who minister to Catholic children, whether as a priest, coach or classroom parent. It seems an appropriate step forward - for once, we're talking openly about sexual abuse. Yet am I a cynic for noting that the course was instituted only after the sexual abuse scandal hit the media? Or for noticing that the program was created by The National Catholic Risk Retention Group in order to provide the church with "the absolute finest, most cost-efficient and effective risk control measures available anywhere"? Talk to any parent. They'll tell you that keeping suspected child abusers far away from children is more than good business sense. It's common sense, plain and simple. If only our church had understood that. Jennifer L.W. Fink of Mayville is a freelance writer specializing in parenting and health. Her e-mail address is jenwrites4you@yahoo.com
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