Clergy Must Practise What They Preach, by Wayne Young, The Guardian, June 12, 2010

Clergy Must Practise What They Preach

By Wayne Young
The Guardian
June 12, 2010

http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/index.cfm?sid=343276&sc=102

Priests and bishops were once revered. I was reminded of that earlier this week as I read an account of a Newfoundland man who alleges his parish priest sexually abused him when he was an altar boy.

He says he tried to speak out then, mentioning it to his aunt. When he got home, he says he got a beating. "Stuff like that happened," he said in a newspaper interview. "I was definitely too scared and ashamed, and you've got to remember the priest was put on this pedestal. People, that's all they had to believe in was this guy."

Today, the clergy has been taken down from that pedestal and, rightly, I believe, reverence for those who wear the collar has been replaced by a respect that's only earned by their words and actions.

In other words, not only must they be able to preach but more importantly, they must be able to practise what they preach.

For a good part of the 1970s, I was an altar boy who served a half dozen priests who circulated through our rural parish. Reading the account of the Newfoundland man who spoke candidly about his alleged abuse as a child, I wondered how those in my own community would have reacted had an altar boy came to them with a similar story.

I'd like to believe the outcome would be far different. The truth is, I'm really not sure. In those days, these men were revered, or placed on a pedestal if you like. In my view, that's no place for mere mortals.

Fortunately, I was never traumatized by any kind of abuse. Rather, I was involved with clergy who did practise what they preached - men who helped me develop the core values that have shaped my life.

It saddens me that those good men - and there are plenty of them - have been hurt by others who have chosen to abuse children.

But the greater hurt by far lies with the children who have suffered this abuse. And to that end, I'm not convinced the church has yet figured out how to deal with these allegations when they do arise.

It should be so simple. When church officials become aware that a priest has been accused of molesting a child, police must immediately be notified. Period.

It makes no difference if the complainant is a boy or a grown man. Only police can investigate and determine the validity of the allegation and, if they deem it necessary, a charge will be laid.

Media reports suggest that's not exactly what happened in a case involving a priest who came out of retirement last year and was working on a temporary basis in a parish in rural P.E.I. A few weeks ago, the priest was suspended following a complaint of abuse against a boy alleged to have occurred 30 years ago while he worked at a parish in western Newfoundland.

The bishop of Corner Brook and Labrador said in an interview with CBC he was contacted by the complainant last month. The bishop said the man told him he had confided in a church official more than a decade ago that a priest had molested him. He said he understood from the man there was "some resolution" at that time.

Not good enough.

Had police been alerted then, the priest would have been exonerated or convicted. If convicted, the victim would have gotten help and/or compensation, and probably some closure.

Fast forward to last month. The complainant re-emerges, this time telling the bishop his alleged molester had touched him inappropriately more than 30 years ago.

Even though he wouldn't tell the bishop his name, the man should have been directed to police. Instead, the bishop urged him to file a report with a bishop's delegate who responds to such complaints with a committee. From there, police may be notified.

Again, not good enough.

Granted, as the bishop pointed out, the complainant is now a grown man who could go to police on his own. Still, the bishop should have insisted he do so rather than a church committee.

Aside from the fact it's the right thing to do, it could also buffer the church against charges of coverup that inevitably surface when such allegations become public. Something the bishop did get right was to alert the bishop of Charlottetown. Within a day, the priest was suspended and while he is innocent until proven guilty, it's only right he be relieved of his duties until he's tried in a court of law.

It pains me to watch the church I grew up in deal with one scandal after another as men - priests and bishops - are brought to justice on allegations of unimaginable transgressions.

But I'm far from disappointed the clergy has been knocked off their pedestal, a lofty perch they should never have assumed. I still have a strong respect for many clergymen who, through their words and actions, prove every day that they are worthy of the collars they wear. I suspect that for them respect - not reverence - is more than good enough.