BishopAccountability.org
	Invitation to Share Feelings over Clergy Sex Abuse CathNews October 8, 2009 http://www.cathnews.com/article.aspx?aeid=16927 The Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle is inviting parishioners and the broader community to share their feelings about clergy abuse, at gatherings throughout October and November, to seek a way forward. "Most people in our diocese have been affected, perhaps to varying degrees, by the issue of abuse by some clergy," the diocese said in a letter in their Aurora magazine. "Regrettably, many have been directly and personally affected. Others have been part of parish communities from which clergy have been, or are currently, the subject of legal allegations and/or criminal proceedings." The diocese acknowledged that sexual abuse "can elicit many feelings and reactions: confusion, disbelief, fear and anxiety, powerlessness, betrayal, divided loyalties, grief, disillusionment, anger, resentment." It has resulted in many turning away from the faith, or "just hanging in there, still hoping that we can come through this ordeal as part of the (albeit deeply scarred and perhaps forever changed) community of the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle." It is inviting people to participate in gatherings of a group called Insights, formed in January this year to consider a response to the "issue of sexual abuse by some clergy." The group consists of people with backgrounds and professional experience in counselling, pastoral care, education, ritual, spirituality and communications. "Recognising the emotional sensitivities and complexities of these issues, Insights will be facilitated by skilled and experienced local professionals. From the small group experiences, we hope that we will each discern a way forward, or at least the next step in what we hope can be a process of healing for each of us as individuals, as parishes, regions, and as a diocese."
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.